About Us
The Therien family started in the FL restaurant business in 1971. John Therien started The Banana Boat in September 1971, on Commercial Blvd east of U.S.1. John Therien and his sons, Luke and Giles, moved to Boynton Beach in 1978 and relocated The Banana Boat to Boynton Beach, on Ocean Avenue and the Intracoastal Waterway.
When the Banana Boat started back in 1978, most of today’s staff still had not been born yet.
Boynton Beach was just a quiet fishing village back then. The Boynton Beach mall would not be built for another 7 years. The giant Motorola factory on Congress (since demolished, now the Renaissance Commons) was still farmland. In fact all of Congress Avenue was still farmland. There was not one restaurant on Congress Avenue at that time. My, how things have changed!
The Banana Boat was originally decorated with fish nets and numerous nautical artifacts. In 2000, the Banana Boat underwent a Multi-million dollar renovation to coincide with construction of a new bridge and a changing downtown. During this time the state demolished its old 1935 Ocean Avenue bridge and replaced it with a much bigger bridge right next to Banana Boat. Also during this time, other old buildings next to Banana Boat were demolished and a new Marina Village that included two multi-story condominiums just west of the marina began development.
It is estimated that over 10 million customers have visited Banana Boat, and over 6,500 employees have worked there, since its opening in November 6, 1978. Banana Boat has a number of long-time employees, including one 30 year employee, three 27 year employees, a few 20 year employees, and quite a few 5 and 10 year staff members.
Banana Boat is seen as a landmark “anchor” to the restaurant and nightlife activities in Boynton Beach. As a family business, they take great pride in offering that “Authentic Florida Experience” for those locals and tourists seeking fresh seafood, fun appetizers, sandwiches and cocktails, at reasonable prices, overlooking the waterfront in Boynton Beach.
The Theriens are completely dedicated to the restaurant business. They support the community through fund raisers, the Chamber of Commerce, and are loyal to their customers, staff and vendor partners. The Therien family has a commitment to quality, service, sanitation, and fairness.