![Horace Henry is co-founder of Off The Clock, a restaurant and arts and culture group [Feb 13, 2026]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9c8f859/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5712x4284+0+0/resize/840x630!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F52%2F7d%2F9af4a30c4c27a8b52a780504df6b%2Fhorance-henry.jpg)
There’s nothing like Off The Clock in Lake Worth Beach. And creative folks are taking notice.
OTC, what locals call it, began as an eclectic pop-up for music, food and fashion in Palm Beach County and has evolved into a full-scale restaurant — a listening bar, art gallery and creative third space in downtown Lake Worth Beach.
Now, it's growing upstairs for an "expanded art viewing experience," co-founder Horace Henry told WLRN, ahead of its inaugural art exhibit on Feb. 21.
Since it's initial opening in November, OTC has drawn in customers with its curated mix of culture and style. Step into the dim, earth-toned space to find rotating international DJs spinning Caribbean, Afro-beats, R&B and jazz vinyl directly behind the listening bar.
It’s a comfortable atmosphere with a semi-formal dress code. Henry, who is of Jamaican descent, said he and his wife Elizabeth, both with 15 years in hospitality, created a cross-cultural space where every detail is intentional.
READ MORE: New reggae and Jamaican arts festival teams up with Palm Beach County’s leading Black museum
On the menu, you’ll find Caribbean-inspired dishes and French-style plating, with everything from salt cod fritters with creole sauce to jerk cubano, roasted salmon and coconut rice and peas. And the drinks are punch-heavy — expect various Caribbean cocktails mixes, including offerings with a splash of Jamaican Wray & Nephew rum or Haiti's Rhum Barbancourt.
And the style is in your face. The staff serves in classic French berets surrounded by African art, books and sculptures that spark conversation.
It’s community first, Henry told WLRN.
“I have so many friends from different backgrounds, especially within the Caribbean, from Haiti, Puerto Rico, the Lesser Antilles,” Henry said. “And then I am from Jamaica. We're taking a little bit from each island within the Caribbean. We are giving it a French technique.”
A proven concept
The cultural resonance goes beyond food and drinks, though. The upstairs expansion, for example, is also part of the preparations for their inaugural art exhibit — experience as the ultimate connector, he said.
Henry wanted to make sure the downstairs area was a ‘proven concept’ before expanding the vibe space upstairs. After two-and-a-half years of hosting OTC events at various locations, Henry wanted to bring a unique and permanent cross-cultural experience to Lake Worth Beach, one that attracts "all walks of life."
“I believe we’ve done that right now and continue to do so,” he said. “We’re more than a restaurant.”
Loyal followers and visitors agree. The downstairs area is often described as having a home-like aesthetic. Cassaun Colding and Tatianna Bastian, first-time walk-ins who arrived together, said the open area looks and feels like a living room, with its wide, pillow-filled couch at the center, surrounded by accent tables.
Colding, a singer-songwriter from Kansas City who is visiting Florida, told WLRN the bar reminded her of niche establishments back home. “Most of the juke joints you go to in Kansas City are going to feel like home,” Colding said. “This is the first spot in Florida that made me feel like I was back home in Kansas City.”
South Florida–based Bastian called the atmosphere “loving.”
“It's so classy. It's so complex. You have a little bit of everything,” Bastian told WLRN. “You can literally see every race, every culture, every creed in the space just having a good time, and I find that you don’t see that in a lot of places.”
A restaurant with a resident artist
The upstairs space in the 5,000-square-foot OTC feels like a hidden speakeasy, complete with a secret entrance and a narrow staircase. The walls, from the stairs to the entrance, are sprawled with work by the restaurant’s resident artist, Haiti-born Rousell Dad.
Dad is an illustrator, painter, and muralist who showcases work reflecting his culture, social commentary, and the power of the women in his life.
“I remember the sacrifice that my grandmother was doing for me,” he told WLRN. “And I was promise to myself before she was die, I have to do something for her.”
“ I paint my story, I paint my feeling, I paint my joy, my pain, and my experience,” he added.
Upstairs gallery and fine dining expansion
Upstairs will be a separate experience. It'll offer fine dining with leather seats and white tablecloths, an escape reserved for members only. It’ll also serve as a space for a variety of artists' work — the restaurant doesn’t take commission.
“A lot of times, the artists have to be present or they have to put their piece in the gallery — and galleries take a lot of money from them,” Henry explained.
“I want them [artists] to feel like they can place their pieces anywhere here and if it happens that somebody comes in and falls in love with that, we connect them with the artist directly and from there, they work out the deal.”
So far, OTC has nearly 60 members, capped at 120, offering perks like event access, discounts and live jazz. He said it creates a curated yet inclusive community experience. A no-flash phone policy encourages guests to engage with the art and each other.
In the meantime, Horace says he’s working on a flagship event series called Proof of Concept to attract more creative people to the space.
“I wanted to create a space where you have a sense of exclusivity and inclusivity,” he said.
“So we don't want to ever forget what we are, who we are... We built our community and we built this community for what we are doing right now based on collaborating.”
IF YOU GO
What: Off the Clock: Solo Exhibit of Rousell Dad
When: Saturday, Feb. 21; 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Off The Clock 921 Lake Ave, Lake Worth Beach, FL 33460
For more info here
