11 May 22-28, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | ▼ SOFI JOE’S ANNOUNCES STONE CRAB PRICE DROP In a move that defies economic trends and re- affirms its place in the heart of Miami, Joe’s Stone Crab, the oldest restaurant in the city and the highest-grossing in Florida, is doing the unthinkable: lowering its prices. Yes, you read that right. While inflation tightens bud- gets and restaurants across the country raise prices to keep up, Joe’s is cutting costs for its loyal patrons. And it’s not just symbolic, prices are dropping across the menu, including the famed fried half chicken now offered for just $7.95, which was named the Best Fried Chicken in Miami by New Times in 2023. Joe’s fourth-generation COO, Steve Sawitz, shared the news on Instagram in a heartfelt statement released Wednesday, May 14. The statement draws a direct line between the restaurant’s founding principles and its current values. “When I was a kid growing up at Joe’s, Mom would always say, ‘Everyone should be able to come to Joe’s and enjoy a meal, no matter who they are or where they come from,’” Sawitz says. “She undoubtedly learned that from my grandfather, Jesse. And Jesse certainly learned that from my great- grandfather Joe, the guy who started Joe’s. And that brings us to today.” This isn’t just about nostalgia. This is a bold, values-driven decision from a family- run business that has spent over a century serving Miami and hosting presidents, celeb- rities, tourists, and locals alike. Now, as sum- mer approaches and tourists thin, Joe’s is doubling down on accessibility for the people who live here year-round. “While prices everywhere else are going up, Joe’s is bringing our prices down,” Sawitz continues. “We’re bringing down the price of stone crabs. We’re bringing down the price of a bunch of other menu items...even our ‘Fried Half Chicken’ is down to just $7.95. Because no matter how chaotic things seem, there will always be one thing of which you can be cer- tain: ‘Everyone can come to Joe’s and enjoy a meal, no matter who you are or where you’re from.’ It’s just the right thing to do.” The response was immediate and emo- tional. Fans took to Joe’s Instagram post to express their admiration, with comments pouring in: “This is why you are one of a kind, Steve! #JoesFanForLife” and “Joe’s is for the people!” Founded in 1913, Joe’s Stone Crab has long been a symbol of Miami’s culinary excellence and cultural soul. It’s a place where tuxedoed waiters serve iconic stone crabs, hash browns, key lime pie, and memories to generations of diners. That legacy, built on hard work, hospi- tality, and integrity, continues to grow under the stewardship of the Sawitz family. In an era when profit often overshadows principle, Joe’s is proving once again why it remains not just a restaurant, but a Miami in- stitution, as well as one of the most beloved restaurants in the world (no. 19, to be exact). Because at Joe’s, it’s not just about what’s on the plate, it’s about who’s sitting at the table — and that’s everyone. Got a Joe’s Stone Crab story to share? Slide into our Instagram DMs (@nicolelovar or @ miaminewtimes) or tag us. NICOLE LOPEZ-ALVAR ▼ SOUTH BEACH DONATELLA VERSACE SLAMS SOBE SPOT USING HER NAME Donatella Versace has taken to Instagram to blast a new Miami Beach boutique hotel and restaurant named after her, calling the move “disgraceful” and an attempt to “capitalize on our tragedy.” “Let me be clear. The hotel and restaurant named Donatella, located near our former family home in Miami, will never have any- thing to do with me or my family. To try to capitalize on our tragedy and my name for profit is disgraceful,” the designer and fashion icon says in a pointed statement on Instagram. The Donatella Boutique Hotel & Restau- rant, located at 1350 Collins Ave., will offi- cially open as a boutique hotel on Wednesday, May 21. The restaurant has already opened. The concepts are owned by the same groups behind Villa Casa Casuarina and its restau- rant Gianni’s, which was once most famously referred to (and still is referred to by tourists) as the “Versace Mansion.” The Nakash family and Vida & Estilo Hos- pitality groups appear to be doubling down on their Versace connection despite the fami- ly’s obvious objection. The new Donatella Boutique Hotel & Restaurant sits just blocks from the Ocean Drive mansion where Gianni Versace was infamously murdered in broad daylight in 1997. This marks the second Versace-adjacent venture for the Nakash family, who pur- chased the family’s former home in 2013 and transformed it into a luxury hotel and restau- rant that leans heavily on the Versace name and aesthetic. | TASTE TEST | ▼ Café Joe’s Stone Crab photo Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach, Miami’s oldest and top-earning restaurant, lowers its stone crab prices despite inflation to serve great food for everyone.
