Meet Emilio Dominguez | Founder

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

Hi Emilio, what is the most important factor behind your success?
A team on the same mission as me

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?
Our business is The Modern Rose, a unique café tucked away in Deerfield Beach, FL. It started as a small space selling refurbished antique furniture with a few teas. My wife, Jimena, and I, had the opportunity to acquire the business in 2019 and have since added a full coffee shop, kitchen with light bites to full meals serving breakfast and brunch into the early evening, oversized layered colorful tea and coffee drinks, a bakery selection that earned us “Best Desserts” in the city three years in a row, our own brand of ceremonial-grade matcha called Modern Matcha, and much more. We expanded the original space and then opened a second location in Delray Beach, all while COVID was running rampant through our industry.

I’ve been a student of both leadership and finance since about 2006 when my grandfather gifted me some stock and began to teach me about the world of money. It intrigued me, but nothing as much as my desire to serve my country, so I shifted focus for a few years and served in the Air Force from when I was 18 years old to 24 years old. I was in the Air National Guard, so apart from deployment and training, I was able to still pursue my degree and work. I worked in high-end catering in NYC and refined my service skills there since I was afforded the opportunity to work for hedge fund owners, CEOs of multi-billion dollar companies, actors, athletes, world leaders, former US Presidents, and so many more interesting and kind people. Often, I was able to converse with them, even bounce off ideas, and these years of experience helped mold my perspective of life, service, and success.

When we came down to Florida in 2016, it was to start a construction business. Long story short, it didn’t pan out, and we had had our first beautiful daughter by then. Student loans were due and the baby needed to be fed, so I jumped into the age-old industry of “quick cash” – bartending. In that role I moved up to be the bar manager and scaled the cocktail program from the ground up, turning a small operation into a 7-figure liquor program in a tiny space. I knew my numbers and understood the sheer scale of what I’d done, even having my work featured in Forbes and connecting with NBA team owners over it, so I thought I might be on the right path to what I’m meant to do. I went to school for finance to try and avoid the restaurant industry, yet life tends to pull you back where you can make the most impact if you’re willing to see it.

In 2019, the opportunity to make The Modern Rose ours came up, and, as they say, the rest is history.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My wife, Jimena Dominguez. When we were at the finish line of making the deal to acquire The Modern Rose in late 2019 she was 8.5 months pregnant with our second beautiful daughter. I was working tirelessly already and the business was small and losing money; so, I was beginning to allow doubts to enter my mind about whether or not we should move forward with the deal. My wife voiced her opinion that we should do it, and it would work because we’d do it together. She couldn’t have been more right, and I couldn’t have been more wrong. Thanks to her unmatched work ethic and pushing me through my own doubts, we’ve built an amazing business that continues to thrive and break records.

Website: www.TheModernRose.com

Instagram: instagram.com/TheModernRose

Twitter: twitter.com/ModernRoseCafe

Facebook: facebook.com/themodernrose

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-modern-rose-deerfield-beach

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@modernrosecafe