Blue Skies and Brewgrrs

Rob Cobun is not an impulsive guy. He systematically plans and carefully researches before he acts.

And so it was only natural that he painstakingly thought out all aspects of his new Vero Beach restaurant, including the concept, name, menu, décor, and even placement of the tables and booths. He believes he now has not only what he wants but also what a growing clientele in Vero Beach also want. And that is BrewGrrs, in the renovated shopping space at the corner of Indian River Boulevard and 21st Street. The family-friendly, full-service restaurant specializes in burgers and beer, with just enough extras to appeal to almost everyone.

Rob is a commercial pilot. Besides being an entrepreneur and restaurateur, he is just the kind of methodical guy you want in the cockpit when you fly. Typically when he decided on a career as an airline pilot in the late 1990s, he did his research before choosing a flight school. He determined FlightSafety Academy in Vero Beach to be the best.

The top-notch flying school was his first exposure to Vero Beach and he fell in love with the small, friendly community right away. After he completed his flight training, he stayed on as an instructor and then as an examiner for another year at the school. Today he is a first officer for a major commercial airline and his flight schedule can take him anywhere in the U.S., Mexico and Caribbean during any given month.

“Back then it was my dream to be a pilot, but I said I would come back to Vero Beach some day to live and raise a family and open a restaurant,” he recalls. Rob and his wife Rebecca have a year-old son; now with BrewGrrs, he has accomplished all three of his goals.

Rob grew up in the restaurant business; his father had several restaurants in Bucks County, Pa. “I have been in and out of kitchens my whole life. As soon as I was old enough, I did everything that there was to do in our family’s restaurants – busing tables, waiting and cooking.”

Read the entire article in the September/October 2011 issue