A Cheesecake Factory if coming to Lincoln Road and it’s good news for tourist and residents. My friend Neil Plakcy, author of 50 gay romance novels, floored me recently when he said straight mature women are the majority of his sales. If you want to feel young again, you must make your way over to Big Pink, a retro looking diner. Get ready to swing in Lummus Park.

Cheesecake Factory Comes to Lincoln Road 

Every month I get a call from someone visiting Miami Beach asking me where they can have lunch or dinner without costing them an arm and a leg. There is no question about it. Most Miami Beach restaurants are expensive. I will soon have a great recommendation that will please a lot of people.

Sometime in the Fall, The Cheesecake Factory will be opening up in the corner space at 600 Lincoln Road in Miami Beach. The 7,000 square foot space was previously occupied by Sushi Samba. I know now it’s going to be a major success because it’s just the kind of atmosphere and pricing tourists, as well as residents, are looking for on days where they just want to go out casually. Now let’s hope the food is good.

Reports have it that more than 200 staff members from the local community are being hired.

The Cheesecake Factory is strategically located near Zara, Sephora, the New World Symphony, Soundscape Park and Miami Beach Convention Center.

Lincoln Road always has lots of exciting news. That’s what makes it the most exciting open-air malls in the country. It took a hit during the pandemic but so did everything else. The important thing to remember about Lincoln Road is that it’s always evolving. It loves to change. That seems to be the answer to life these days.

Straight Women Love Gay Romance Novels 

When my Miami friend Neil Plakcy, author of over 50 gay novels, told me that the majority of his sales were to mature straight women, I was floored. I consider myself savvy about women my age, but it never occurred to me that they would be interested in gay love making. READ MORE.

 Big Pink to Feel Young at Heart 

Big Pink is a retro looking diner that will make you feel like you are a part of the John Travolta and Olivia Newton John crowd in Grease. It’s located in the heart of South Beach, 157 Collins Ave, right across from the nightclub “Story.”

That means you can see major celebrities who cross the street to eat at Big Pink when they get hungry. Or you can mingle with tourists and/or local residents, who just want to have fun at this blast from-the-past hangout.

The main attraction at Big Pink is the size of their portions— huge. Two can eat for the price of one. You can get everything from breakfast to dinner all day long. The restaurant is open till 11pm. Check the website because Big Pink takes a siesta in the afternoons for two hours.

You can consider Big Pink a sports bar as well because there are big flat screens everywhere. The restaurant opened in December 1996. It’s still a huge crowd pleaser. Myles Chefetz, one of the most successful restaurateurs in Miami Beach, owns Big Pink, and operates Prime 112, Prime Italian, and Prime Hotel, a boutique hotel adjacent to Prime 112 that blends high-end luxury lifestyle with Miami Beach’s Art Deco influences.

Don’t miss seeing several of the signature pink Volkswagen Beetles parked outside the restaurant. They make all of the food deliveries and are perfect for selfies.

Sept 4. Swing All Stars

Head to Lummus Park for Swing All Stars, led by Paul Shewchuk: Red, White & Swing.  The Ocean Drive Association is making sure that the beautiful Art Deco Street is being frequented by mature adults as much as the young bar hopping kids.

The association has been presenting a concert series performed by the Miami Beach Classical Music Festival “bringing classical music outside of the concert hall and into the community.”

These events are free and take place in Lummus Park between 14th and 14th Place.  Bring your chair, blanket and picnic – ENJOY!  Rain location is inside The Betsy lobby!