We had the good fortune of connecting with Jon Darby and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jon, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
Vince Lombardi “The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary” There are a lot of people that confuse success with luck. Although that can sometimes be true, it is nearly always because of hard work

The city is allowing the restaurants
on our street to have al fresco dining in the street Thurs Fri and Saturday nights as well
as Sunday days, it’s been a huge help

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’ve owned Darby’s American Cantina now for 7 years. Prior to that I owned Celebrities Sports Grill for 20 years. I attribute my success to a few of things. Number one is hard work. Number two is to never think you know everything about this ever changing business. Number three is hire an amazing staff and treat them all like family!

one of my family. They are what keeps me motivated every day to work hard and to never ever give up.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well depending on where my friend was coming from would dictate a lot. If they were from out of state, I would take them to see our beaches , catch a Lakers, Dodgers. Rams or Kings game (maybe all four). As far as locally I would definitely take them to my restaurant but also several of the other restaurants we have in Redlands as well as all three of our awesome breweries!. I truly feel we have an outstanding array of amazing places to hang out, eat and drink!

a photo that photographer Bruce Herwig took of our signature burger. “The Darbinator”

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shout out goes to my wife Denise. It is not always easy being married to a restaurateur. She is always on my side and behind me 100 percent whatever I do.

Website: www.darbysredlands.com

Image Credits
The burger picture is photo credit Bruce Herwig

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