Meet Jason Odio | Hospitality Entrepreneur

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

Hi Jason, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I feel pretty good about taking risks. Everything in my industry no matter how well thought out, executed, equipped, is a large risk. You can have all the right ingredients but there’s no perfect formula. But personally I haven’t done anything that I don’t strongly believe in. I’ve had plenty of failures in the past but I think those failures have given me perseverance to work through challenging obstacles in my successes.

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’m proud to be from Miami and contributing to the growing hospitality landscape. Miami is a new city, allowing a lot of people from other places to come here and make a name for themselves and helping push the envelope when it comes to food and beverage. I’m excited to be included in that group as a Miami native. I love this city and where it’s headed. I think it also helped me get to where I am today. There were plenty of hurtles though and costly mistakes. Learning this business and business as a whole without any formal education was a rough road. I would say the biggest challenges were giving people too much too soon and hoping for certain expectations. I’ve learned a lot about accountability, communication and navigating egos (my own included).

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I had to give someone visiting places to checkout I would include breakfast at Bebito’s, dinner, and drinks at Baby Jane followed by dancing at La Otra. After shamelessly plugging my places I would include some of my favorites: – Sushi by Bou for a nostalgic South Beach experience with an incredible omakase experience – NAOE for what I think would be Miami’s first Michelin starred restaurant and the closest thing to Japan we have – Boia de for a young chef-driven mom & pop style eatery – Tinta y Cafe for an awesome local breakfast. – Macchialina for a delicious, intimate Italian dinner. – The Standard for a sunset cocktail – Soho House for beach – Faena for the most opulent Miami Style cocktails – La Rosa’s if you want to dive into Miami’s subculture and music scene – NIU Kitchen for a tiny true downtown eatery – Margot Wine bar for your natural wine needs on the sand under palm trees – Il Gabiano for a view of the bay, old school white tablecloth style service, and traditional Italian hits – Most people visit Miami to turn things up a notch. I would suggest Kiki on the River for daytime party followed by Liv on Sunday – No Miami trip would be complete without getting on a boat and chilling on the water. Very important

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of guidance and support throughout my life. My family first and foremost but specificlly my Mom, Dad, stepfather, and most importantly my sister, Jessica, who has worked with me from the start. I learned a lot about this industry from working with, Roman Jones for almost a decade. Also, Ernesto de la Fe & Phil Rodriguez who I admire greatly and always took the time to hear all my ideas (most of them were terrible). My friends that continually support me and are the reason I tailor some of my business to an environment that they would enjoy. Last but not least my partners who have shown a great deal in belief in me.

Website: nativesonshospitality.com
Instagram: @jasonodio @bebitoscafe @laotramiami @babyjanemiami
Twitter: @jasonodio

Image Credits
Charlie Garcia