Mike Quillen, a Sarasota-based restaurateur and President of Watershed Hospitality Concepts, Gecko’s Hospitality Group, and Cashiers Restaurant Holdings, has been named the 2025 Restaurateur of the Year by the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (FRLA). The award was presented at the 2025 Hospitality Stars of the Industry Gala held at Henderson Beach Resort in Destin. With this recognition, Quillen was also inducted into the FRLA Hall of Fame.
Carol Dover, President and CEO of FRLA, stated: “Mike Quillen represents the very best of Florida’s hospitality industry – visionary leadership, deep community engagement, and an unwavering passion for excellence. Mike’s legacy extends far beyond the success of his restaurants – it lives in the thousands of people he has mentored and the careers he has shaped. His dedication to training, empowering, and retaining great employees has set the standard for our entire industry, and his impact on Florida’s restaurant landscape has been extraordinary. We are proud to honor him as our 2025 Restaurateur of the Year and induct him into the FRLA Hall of Fame.”
The annual gala recognizes outstanding contributions from restaurant and lodging operators as well as suppliers throughout Florida. The Hall of Fame distinction is reserved for leaders whose service and commitment have significantly influenced Florida’s hospitality sector.
Upon receiving his award, Quillen said: “I’m deeply honored to receive this award from the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association, an organization that has played such a pivotal role in shaping the direction of my career and any success I’ve achieved along the way. I share this recognition with the incredible team members that I’ve had the privilege to work alongside of over the years. Our shared dedication, passion to hospitality, and hard work have made this possible, and I’m grateful to share this award with them.”
Quillen oversees 15 restaurants across Florida and North Carolina under several brands including Gecko’s Grill & Pub, Dry Dock Waterfront Grill, Tripletail Seafood & Spirits, Cask & Ale, Pie on Main, Lefty’s Oyster & Seafood Bar, and Micas Mountain Kitchen. Since launching Gecko’s Grill & Pub in Sarasota in 1992, he has built concepts known for low management turnover rates and strong employee engagement.
His background includes experience in corporate chains as well as family-owned businesses. Under his leadership these establishments have received multiple guest awards such as “Best Of,” five consecutive National Restaurant Association Florida Restaurant Neighbor Awards plus a national Restaurant Neighbor Award in 2017. Personally he earned four straight Florida Cornerstone Humanitarian Awards.
Quillen serves on several boards including those for FRLA itself; Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce; Argus Foundation; Selby Gardens; Visit Sarasota County; and Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Charitable Foundation. He is a graduate of Leadership Florida who studied History and Political Science at New College after attending State College of Florida on a tennis scholarship.
FRLA is a non-profit trade association representing more than 10,000 members statewide—including independent hoteliers/restaurateurs as well as major franchises—and works to protect promote educate about Florida’s $112 billion hospitality industry employing two million people.
