'We tried to keep it for the locals': First Turn owner talks about decision to close

Owners announced via social media Wednesday morning that Daytona’s Original First Turn, Daytona’s Steakhouse and Gastro Pub at First Turn, and Someplace Else at First Turn would all soon be closing in Port Orange.

The announcement further emphasized the rate at which restaurant closures are occurring locally, with Volusia-Flagler experiencing more than 20 closures this year alone.

Shane Snipes, a Port Orange native who owns the nearly 40-year-old business alongside his wife Janet McDermott, purchased First Turn almost three years ago after having been a customer for many years prior. Though it was his first restaurant venture, he decided to expand the business with Daytona’s Steakhouse next door — the original First Turn building — in July 2022 and Someplace Else at First Turn, which opened in April. The decision, though costly, is one he says helped them to keep business afloat for as long as possible.

So, what happened?

Though Snipes said business has been better than ever, drawing crowds of up to 1,200 on concert nights alone, the ability to maintain First Turn’s ultra-affordable “hometown bar” reputation has proven to be a rather impossible task when simultaneously promising live music daily, "cheap beer" and meal prices untouched by inflation.

“We spend over $400,000 a year in live music,” Snipes said. “We’ve been doing more business on the property than has ever been done here in 40 years. However, our expenses are higher than it’s ever been by 40-50% more ... but our prices have stayed the same, and it’s been to our loss doing that.”

Prior to taking over the then 37-year-old business, Snipes owned — and maintains — an attorney and medical referral company, that provided him with the time and extra income necessary to pull the trigger on owning his own restaurant.

When the previous owner retired and the space became available, he went for it.

However, taking on a restaurant-ownership role in a fresh post-COVID economy introduced to him a landslide of unprecedented financial challenges, including rising food and labor costs and tripled insurance costs.

In hopes of staying on top of demand, especially following the pandemic-induced supply chain crisis within the industry, Snipes said he stocked the restaurant with more than $100,000 in inventory leading up to Biketoberfest 2022 — money that virtually went down the drain, he said, when Tropical Storm Ian hit , knocking out the restaurant’s power and spoiling most of his food supply.

Damage repair costs to the restaurant was another other financial hit, and, since then, expenses haven’t seemed to slow down.

A case of wings for the restaurant increased by roughly 120% over the last six months, Snipes told me, though he’s left his own menu prices untouched.

In 2025, food prices are generally expected to rise another 2%, with "food-away-from-home prices" specifically expected to increase by 3%, according to the USDA 2024-2025 Food Price Outlook report.

“Other things that used to be $18 a case are now $29 a case. You add that up, times 150-200 cases a week, and that’s a lot of money. And I think it’s just the market of which we are surrounded by — we’ve been giving (customers) these prices and great service for so long that it’s come back to bite us now.”

Lessons learned as First Turn comes to an end

As he closes this chapter, Snipes takes with him an abundance of insights that will guide the path to his next bar — one he says customers can rest assured will come, in time.

Overcoming stigmas previously associated with the decades-old business, while also maintaining an affordable concept in an ever-changing economic climate has kept Snipes' hands full, to say the least, over the last three years.

The restaurant and bar, what he saw to be an “undervalued” addition to Port Orange, had immense potential to grow beyond its biker bar reputation, Snipes said, and he was up for the challenge. Within the first six months of acquiring the property, he started renovations next door at the now steakhouse — a nearly 100-year-old building, then “condemned” and used as storage.

“The bars were falling over, the pluming was loose, the electricity was off in some places. So, we spent a quarter of a million dollars renovating it to get it to where it is now,” Snipes said.

“Had we not done that, we would’ve never have made it here, because it was just wasted building. And (Someplace Else) was empty space, so I’m a believer that 100% of what you’re not using is 100% lost. So, why not utilize it?”

Gradually, First Turn — a triple threat — transformed into the “family establishment” locals know it as today. Unfortunately, while guests could enjoy affordable drinks, meals for under $10 and free entertainment daily, Snipes, in return, paid the ultimate price — his business.

“If you’re going to do a live music venue, you have to charge a cover charge and you have to do it from day one. We came in and provided free music, and so everybody expects free music,” Snipes said.

“… From day one, whatever direction you’re gonna go, you’ve got to go that way. Because if you give somebody something for a little bit, they expect it all the time. And that’s been the demise to us.”

Snipes isn’t done: Tearful goodbyes, new bar?

While he initially hoped to hold out for this year's Biketoberfest, uncertainty surrounding the expected turnout was ultimately not worth the financial risk.

He and his wife sat down his staff of 32, many of which have been with First Turn for several years, Tuesday night and broke the news — a decision that was met with many tears, yet a “heartwarming” level of support from the family-like team that seemed to carry over onto social media.

“We’ve built a big family here and the people that come here, it’s like they’re coming to our living room,” Snipes said.

“… We’re three years in and we’ve never taken a penny from it — it has cost us money. We obviously do it for the love of the people. I’ve always said, the biggest thing is that we get to come to work every day and throw a party for people ... . There’s nothing better than that.”

Ahead of the upcoming closure, Snipes released a 10-day itinerary for all three spots , encouraging first-time and decades-loyal customers to drink, dance and say their final farewells.

“We expect (our last) night to be an absolutely amazing goodbye and a very tough goodbye. But, you know, my wife and I are not done. We will open another bar; we will stay in the community, and we will do more,” Snipes said.

“We just had a lot going against us coming in … but we will leave with no debt, we will leave with everybody paid, and we will move onto the next venture.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: 'We tried to keep it for the locals': First Turn owner talks about decision to close