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Daniel Griffin is the new owner of Havana ’59. (Photo by Jay Paul)
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Daniel Griffin (second from left) and fellow employees working the bar in 2016 (Photo courtesy Daniel Griffin)
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Daniel Griffin (left) started as a server at Havana ’59 before climbing the ranks to bar back, bar manager, general manager and now owner. (Photo courtesy Daniel Griffin)
When Daniel Griffin first started working at Havana ’59, he was in his early 20s. Waiting tables was a casual gig that put cash in his pockets and worked with his school schedule. Since then, the soft-spoken Lexington, Virginia, native with a knack for numbers has continued working at the local landmark known for its open-air atmosphere and Cuban cuisine.
This month, he’ll celebrate his 10th anniversary at Havana ’59 with a new title: At 32, Griffin is now the owner of the longstanding Shockoe Bottom restaurant and cigar bar at 16 N. 17th St., having purchased the business from former proprietor Sue Lee.
“This is definitely something I’ve had in my mind for a while, and this is sort of how I thought it would happen,” Griffin says.
Describing himself as having an entrepreneurial spirit, Griffin grew up in a small mountain town, and restaurant work is in his blood. “My mom worked in kitchens her entire life, she still does, and my dad owns a handful of sports bars,” he says.
From a young age, Griffin was tasked with making lists of items in his father’s restaurant that needed to be fixed, subbing in for dishwashing shifts, and working alongside his brothers and sisters. When he moved to Richmond to study physics, he scored a job at Havana ’59, starting as a server.
Over time, Griffin says, “I started inheriting more responsibility and became the bar manager five years ago and during the pandemic became the GM [general manager]. I know that place from the inside out.”
The steady progression meant Griffin was prepared, and his interest piqued, when Lee said to him off the cuff one day while standing on the restaurant’s patio, “One day you could have this.” The comment was casual but laced with sincerity. Though Griffin hadn’t necessarily set out to become a restaurant owner, he had indeed put in the time.
“It’s hard to see advancement in the industry, and if you want to walk away from it, you should sell it to someone you know is going to continue to respect it,” he says. “Working for other people … it can be hard to take ownership of something and put your heart and soul into it, just to be like, ‘Here’s a standard check,’ especially in restaurants, too.”
Over the course of a year, Griffin and Lee have been carefully transitioning operations, covering everything from credit cards and business filings to preparing for the shift. The importance of maintaining Havana ’59’s traditions — including its classic Cuban menu — and community ties after 30 years in business isn’t lost on its new owner.
Griffin recalls couples who have had their first dates there and returned years later to sit at the same table and celebrate their anniversaries with mojitos and paella. He’s worked weddings and seen couples exchange vows with the plaster walls and palm trees as a backdrop and heard return diners reminisce over past meals, pointing to framed pictures of themselves hanging inside the restaurant.
“It’s really cool to be a part of that for people, and really cool to do it well,” he says.
The employee turned owner has a level of esteem for the business that has only increased over time. He’s clocked in extra hours, navigated the not-so-easy days, learned lessons from his predecessors and stayed committed, all of which Lee recognized.
“I think that’s something that was really important to [Lee]; you could sell that building to pretty much anybody, but they’re going to completely change it,” Griffin says. “She wants to make sure that the original vision lives on.”
Drawing its inspiration from the “Paris of the Caribbean,” Havana ’59 originally opened in November 1994 from local restaurateur Michael Ripp. A native of South Korea, Lee settled in Richmond and had operated a number of convenience stores, including Franklin Super Market, right around the corner from Havana ’59. As a customer, she admired the concept, and in 2006 she purchased the restaurant from Ripp, who died in 2013. Similarly, Lee has helped Griffin, offering an owner-financed loan.
Looking ahead, Griffin says he has a 10-year vision for the business that includes relaunching the Shockoe Bottom Neighborhood Association, which fizzled during the pandemic, and reviving the 17th Street Market space.
“A big part of it is just thinking about Shockoe Bottom as a whole, especially that market area,” he says. “They spent a lot of money to renovate it, and there’s this big, beautiful plaza. I have people coming [from] out of town all the time, and they’re like, ‘Why is it so quiet? Why is no one walking around?’ It’s no one’s fault, and I don’t want to blame anyone, but there’s definitely a lot of potential there, and a big part of what I’m looking forward to is helping to get the neighborhood back to where it used to be.”
His goal is to host monthly meetings with both business owners and residents. He also hopes to secure a designated outdoor refreshment license so people can walk outside with a mojito in hand.
“That’s the best marketing there is to come down here and check it out,” Griffin says. “There’s no shortage of people down here, and there’s no reason for people to not enjoy these businesses.”
As for his family’s reaction to this next chapter, Griffin says, “My dad has operated restaurants for a while, so he’s proud, and my mom is someone that worked really hard for other people for her entire life, and I think she’s happy, too, and is glad that [my hard work] is going to pay off.”
Havana ’59 is open Monday through Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 4 to 11 p.m.
