Our Mission
The mission of the LBRA is to serve as the unified voice for our lbc restaurants by connecting our community, impacting legislation and serving as a resource to ensure our businesses grow and thrive.
About Us
Due to the pandemic, 10 local, independent restaurant owners joined forces to form the Long Beach Restaurant Association. Their common goal is to unite independent restaurant operators to share industry concerns through collaboration and have a strong voice with top city policy makers.
The LBRA was born out of the need for a united force of the independent restaurant industry in Long Beach, we bring together our community, we impact legislation, cultivate relationships and provide valuable resources to help you run your business. The LBRA is composed of an experienced board of directors who have access to industry resources and legal counsel. We address city issues and regulations affecting restaurants, and have constant communication with top city staff, including the mayor, to keep them informed about issues important to our employees and our businesses within Long Beach.
Meet Our Board
Bio coming soon…
Bio coming soon…
Rod Frontino was born right here in Long Beach, attended and graduated from Lakewood High School and continued on to California State University Long Beach, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Finance. After graduating from CSULB in 1993, he went on to become a financial advisor selling a variety of financial services products. He managed an agency and had an office in the Bixby Knolls area of Long Beach until 2003. He currently holds active licenses in: Real Estate, Life/health Insurance, Bail Insurance Agent, Series 6 & 63 securities, and is a notary public.
In 2003, he still continued to service his existing financial services client base, but he became a partner in a food service business that supplied food to private and charter schools. He was responsible for facilitating the opening of 12-15 commercial kitchens in private and charter schools throughout the Southern California area. He is well trained on Health Department regulations and has years of experience in hiring, training, and managing people in the food service industry. He was responsible for operating kitchens that served on average of 700-1000 meals per day. He has continued to offer his experience in food service as a consultant on a fee for service basis as needed.
In 2006, Rod was introduced into the Bail Bond Insurance business by a close friend of over 10 years. Rod was approached as a person of interest to start a Bail Bond business due to his experience in the insurance industry along with his experience in hiring, training, and managing of a Financial Services agency in the past. Rod is currently the owner of Awesome Bail Bonds based out of Long Beach CA, which has been in business for 13 years and currently has 3 state licensed agents representing his firm.
Rod is married to Kelly, a high level Registered Nurse(RN), and they own a home in the Naples Island area of Long Beach where Rod has lived for many years. They have 2 amazing children, Allie and Luke, both who attend Naples Elementary and where Kelly is very active volunteering at the Naples Elementary school during the school year.
Rod is a native of Long Beach California, currently owns DOGZ BAR AND GRILL in Belmont Shore that he and friend created and opened in 2011. He believes he clearly understands the culture of the Belmont Shore area of Long Beach as he has been patronizing the businesses in the shore for over 30 years himself. He is a longtime member of the Belmont Athletic Club in Belmont Shore and is a top ranked racquetball player there with over 300 people actively involved in the sport at the Belmont. Rod is also the co-owner of Roe Seafood in Belmont Shore, and the co-owner of JADE Restaurant on the water in Marina Pacifica.
In his various business activities over the years he has become well versed in dealing with businesses, residents, and the public in general. He is liked and trusted by many and values positive relationships and alliances with local businesses, residents, and politicians. He and his family are members of the Long Beach Yacht Club. He is a previously elected board member on the Seal Beach Chamber of Commerce from 2012-2014, and an active member in both the Naples Island Business Association and the Belmont Shore Business Association as owner of DOGZ Bar and Grill and Roe Seafood, and a member of the Long Beach Century Club. Rod also has great working relationships with local city council staff and the planning and building departments at the city of Long Beach.
Rod and his family love the city of Long Beach as their home and place of businesses and they are proud to be residents of Long Beach and look forward to a long, prosperous life here.
There are three aspects of the Hoover motto- Family First, Work Hard Play Hard and If it Doesn’t Make Dollars, It Doesn’t Make Sense! These three very important tools guide Ryan in his business decisions and lifestyle choices he makes every day. At age 15, Ryan began working for his Mother’s restaurant The Mustard Seed in Long Beach, where his passion for the industry began. He worked at multiple Long Beach restaurants throughout college, including the Yardhouse where his knowledge grew, strengthening his understanding of teamwork, fast paced skills and quality service.
In 2008, Ryan attended culinary school while staying intertwined with the industry by cooking at the astounding Montage Resort in Laguna Beach. He later moved to work for Southern Wine and Spirits, where he learned how to procure and optimize a restaurants liquor buys, all while working intimately with different restaurant manager and owner styles. Taking his 25 years of restaurant experience to the next level, he purchased KC Branaghans in 2019. Ryan expresses his loyalty to our city and values his relationships with the members of the LBRA. He wanted to be a part of this movement to create a louder voice among small restaurants to help those who have given so much of their life to their city.