We are often asked where the term “hoodie” (our delicious to-go meals) came from. The idea was simple: we wanted to allow those in our neighbor-“hood” who can’t make it to the restaurant enjoy Red Door food at home! But that’s just the beginning to our overall mission in the Lakeland area.

Your neighborhood isn’t just those who live around the block. If you are invested in the community, you pay attention and care about the individuals, families, and businesses that surround you. These are all well-meaning people who succeed and fail together in our own mini-economy.

At the Red Door, we talk to other “independent, made from scratch” restaurants almost daily. When people hear we regularly collaborate and assist other restaurants in our niche like Nineteen61, they wonder why we assist “competitors”.

It’s because when other quality businesses in the hospitality succeed, we all thrive. The more Lakeland invests in local cuisine, the more growth we will see, and the better service we can provide.

We define our restaurant as CRAFT. Craft is melding our professional experiences into an expression through food. We try to take it a few steps deeper by advocating a congruent attitude to all that we do, whether we are talking food, wine, beer, professional service, or how we hire.

We want all of our actions to work together towards building a more complete community fabric.

There are few things to look forward to that prove we’re on the right track. We will be soon be serving cold brew from the highly praised Concord Coffee. A local entrepreneur who has created Tonic beverages will partner with us. Organizations like Fit Niche, Explorations Five, Florida Dance, Pace for Girls, LVIM, and Viste have all worked with the Red Door to hold events or spread the word about their mission.

So join us on our commitment towards a happier, healthier, and well-fed neighborhood. We all win.