{"id":516,"date":"2019-01-20T22:27:20","date_gmt":"2019-01-21T03:27:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/footprintscafenyc-clarendon.pi.bypronto.com\/?page_id=516"},"modified":"2023-08-14T15:11:13","modified_gmt":"2023-08-14T20:11:13","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/footprintscafenyc.com\/long-island-city\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"
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About Us<\/h1>\n

Footprints Cafe Long Island has been serving up the best Caribbean food in Brooklyn since 2001<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Sharing and celebrating Caribbean culture
and heritage<\/h2>\n

Welcome to Footprints Caf\u00e9, Inc! Brooklyn\u2019s Kitchen and Home of the Rasta Pasta!<\/p>\n

In 2001, Robert \u201cBobby\u201d Gordon opened Footprints Caf\u00e9, Inc.\u2019s the first flagship restaurant presently located at 5814 Clarendon Road in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn. Robert, an immigrant pioneering businessman and entrepreneurial genius, who was born in the Caribbean Island of Jamaica, set out to serve the Brooklyn community and the New York City Metro Area with great-tasting, authentic, and popular Jamaican\/Caribbean dishes like jerk chicken, curry goat, and oxtail, alongside the restaurant\u2019s world-famous signature dish - Rasta Pasta.<\/p>\n

Footprints Caf\u00e9 Inc. is the official home of Rasta Pasta and proud owners of the Rasta Pasta Trademark and brand. Any unauthorized and unlicensed use is prohibited.<\/p>\n

Over its twenty two (22) years\u00a0history, FOOTPRINTS CAF\u00c9, Inc. has been featured in local newspapers like\u00a0New York Carib News<\/a>,\u00a0Caribbean Life News<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Caribbean Times News<\/a>. The restaurant has also been featured on local Cable News stations like\u00a0Brooklyn News<\/a> 12 and recently America\u2019s Best Restaurants. <\/p>\n

The success of Footprints Cafe Clarendon led Robert to open a sister restaurant in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn in 2006, which is located at 1521 Surf Avenue - just a stone's throw away from the world-famous Coney Island Amusement Park, Boardwalk and\u00a0the MCU Park<\/a>. With a delectable mix of international and Caribbean cuisine, exotic drinks, and great entertainment. This restaurant brings a taste of the Caribbean to Coney Island's diverse and fast-growing community. Footprints Caf\u00e9 Coney Island brings the CARIBBEAN RIGHT ON YOUR PLATE!<\/p>\n

Footprints Caf\u00e9\u2019s take-out facility, Footprints Cafe Express, opened right in the heart of the Caribbean immigrant community in the Flatbush\/East Flatbush area of Brooklyn in 2013. It now rivals all local restaurants in the neighborhood with its very diverse and comprehensive menu, as well as its 5-star quality take-out food. It is also the off-site (and on-site) catering hub for the restaurant.<\/p>\n

Footprints Nostrand was later opened in 2021, right in the heart of Bed-Stuy, an iconic area in Brooklyn and known for its Caribbean flare over the years. Footprints Nostrand boasts a delectable menu of its own, with \"Caribbean comfort foods\" such as Flatbreads, gourmet sandwiches, burgers and hand-crafted fries.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The two newest Cloud Kitchens opened in 2022, which are located at Utica Avenue & Skillman Avenue. These locations allow for an easy way to enjoy most of Footprints menu items exclusively via Uber Eats, our third-party delivery service partner. Utica Ave, located in East Flatbush, and Skillman Ave, located in Long Island City, Queens, are two locations where you can satisfy your Footprints cravings right from the comfort of your own home! Both locations offer our famous Rasta Pasta, Flatbreads and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Today, Footprints Caf\u00e9, New York City\u2019s premier Caribbean restaurant, is renowned for its excellent Caribbean cuisine that is complemented by modern international influences. So, drop by any of our locations and EXPERIENCE THE FOOTPRINTS CAF\u00c9 hospitality and high-quality cuisine at affordable prices! We are looking forward to serving you at \u2013 Brooklyn\u2019s Caribbean Kitchen, Home of the Rasta Pasta!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Footprints Caf\u00e9\u2019s President & CEO<\/h4>\n

Robert Gordon: Imagining The Future<\/h5>\n

\u201cThe ingenuity behind success is a very coveted human ideal. It is an ideal rooted in personal values, passion, and an extraordinary ability to achieve greatness and innovation.\u201d Highfalutin words from a long-gone philosopher. Right? Wrong! It\u2019s a business foundational statement from Robert Gordon a hugely successful Jamaica-born immigrant businessman and entrepreneur, par excellence. So, exactly who is Robert \u201cBobby\u201d Gordon?<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve heard about the popular Jamaican\/Caribbean restaurant and bar called Footprints Caf\u00e9 with three locations in Brooklyn, New York City, then chances are you\u2019ve seen Bobby (everyone calls him that) working or chatting with patrons or staff. He is the President, Founder and CEO of this establishment and it was his vision and drive that has made this 18-yearl old restaurant and bar the household name that it now is, at least in the dynamic and growing Caribbean American community in New York.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was born and raised in Jamaica and came to the United States in 1989. I took the traditional immigrant\u2019s route of hard work, dedication, applying myself, and keeping a sharp lookout for opportunities,\u201d Bobby, a handsome late 40ish man says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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He is a proud alumnus of Calabar High School, one of Jamaica\u2019s premier all-boys schools. Here in New York City he initially enrolled in college, only to eventually pursue a career in mechanics at the Apex Technical School. He would later go on to become a car dealer, a business he successfully ran for 10 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI found my true passion in the food and hospitality industry when I decided to open Footprints Caf\u00e9 in 2001. For me, New York is the United States \u201cFood Mecca\u201d with New York City as its epicenter. Its patrons and constituents are demanding, and the failure rate is very high. I knew all that but I also believed that done right, and with hard work, the rewards would be great. I was not wrong,\u201d Bobby says.<\/p>\n

The original flagship enterprise, where this food and drink experience and innovation started, is 5814 Clarendon Road, in Brooklyn, New York. Footprints II, known for its classic design and unique vibe, is also located in Brooklyn near the historical landmark\u2014Coney Island Amusement Park\/Boardwalk area<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And the immensely popular Footprints Caf\u00e9 Express, the 5-Star take-out, eat-in establishment, is situated in the heart of the Flatbush\/East Flatbush section of Brooklyn at 1377 Flatbush Avenue. It seems that there\u2019s no stopping the man. A business success bug has bitten him \u2013 too many times. Bobby is never one to rest on his laurels. He\u2019s looking to the future and there are a \u201cfew things\u201d in the works \u2013 big things, like a new upscale takeout \u201ccoming soon\u201d and a banqueting hall.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always want to improve on our products and our services. Footprints Caf\u00e9 is about a dining experience \u2013 a fine dining experience. Not just any experience. So no matter which location you visit our goal is to have consistent food quality, great customer service, and a welcoming atmosphere \u2013 warm, professional and friendly. And definitely Caribbean,\u201d Bobby explained.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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FootPrints Caf\u00e9\u2019s Former General Manager<\/h4>\n

Linden Clarke<\/h5>\n

He\u2019s worked in the hospitality business literally all his life. It\u2019s the man\u2019s passion and we can tell you that he knows this business \u2013 inside out. You can call him the consummate hospitality professional. In the process of this life-long passion \u2013 don\u2019t tell him it\u2019s a restaurant job \u2013 he\u2019s worked for a list of popular restaurants in the Caribbean (in St. Lucia<\/a>) and New York City finally settling at the popular Footprints Caf\u00e9 - Brooklyn\u2019s Caribbean Kitchen and home of the world famous Rasta Pasta.<\/p>\n

His name\u2019s Linden Clarke and he was born in Guyana<\/a>. For the past 8 years he\u2019s been the Regional General Manager for all three Footprints Caf\u00e9 locations \u2013 Footprints Caf\u00e9 (Clarendon), Footprints Caf\u00e9 Express, and Footprints Caf\u00e9 & Lounge (Coney Island). Needless to say Linden is focused, results oriented, and an expert in all the areas and skills that define a great hospitality and restaurant manager.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThroughout my career I\u2019ve worked with many restaurants in the hospitality industry. I\u2019m at home with restaurant start-ups as well as established ones \u2013 large or small or in-between. I\u2019ve directed restaurant operations and I always manage to consistently increase sales through promotions, and marketing activities while controlling costs and maintaining quality. So no matter if its about volume catering, recruiting and training managers, supervisors and line staff, I\u2019m your guy,\u201d Linden says.<\/p>\n

Always smiling and blessed with a charming and engaging personality, Linden can be Ma\u00eetre D, restaurant host, front manager or troubleshooter, as the situation demands. His ultimate goal is always to make sure that every customer has a great experience at the restaurants and that his staff delivers 5-star service to every patron \u2013 all the time. Under this direction and leadership Caribbean Food in Brooklyn is now extremely popular. Hands on<\/a>, but not demonstrably so, Linden pays keen attention to everything that\u2019s happening at Footprints Caf\u00e9. It\u2019s the hallmark of an experienced manager when the staff feels very comfortable with him or her but understands that they must deliver constant quality services and food \u2013 very time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n