DANI AND LEN JOHNSON MIX BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE

    KEY WEST, FL, May 19, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Back in 2003, Dani and Len Johnson were newlyweds. During one of their early days as husband and wife, Len asked Dani to make him a dessert. Dani wanted to impress her life partner, so four hours later, Dani came out of the kitchen with a two layer Oreo cream cake that wowed Len and had him wondering what other amazing concoctions she could create. That sparked the start of a seductively sweet future for Dani and Len.

"From that first bite, Dani amazed my taste buds and it seemed like a no-brainer that her creativity and talent in the kitchen could translate into a great business concept," said Len Johnson, Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Better Than Sex - A Dessert Restaurant. "We dived into the venture together. Dani became the head chef and I took on the business side of things."

As the concept of Better Than Sex started to form, Dani began recording all of her recipes, taking photos of everything she created and kept feeding into the idea of what would become a full-service dessert restaurant.

"The name for the brand was initially a joke, but it stuck and we ran with the name and committed to it all the way," said Dani Johnson, Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Better Than Sex - A Dessert Restaurant. "I kept envisioning what I wanted for the concept until we finally made it a reality."

For the concept, Dani drew inspiration from her Italian family's love for gathering together with food and her mom's love for baking. In fact, one longtime Better Than Sex dessert is based on one of her mom's own creations that Dani enjoyed during her childhood.

Her mom's Tortilla Torte was an award-winning dessert that was first introduced to the Better Than Sex menu more than 15 years ago as the Tenderness Torte. It featured tortillas layered with a tart semi-sweet chocolate filling and fresh strawberries. The dessert has taken on various evolutions throughout the years including Banana Bazooka and the latest iteration is the Berry Bondage. Better Than Sex unveiled the latest version in April 2023.

The restaurant features a speakeasy vibe with low lighting that adds to the sultry mood. Tables are separated by curtains to offer guests privacy and party counts are limited to keep the experience as intimate as possible.

In addition to the desserts, Better Than Sex also mixes up signature drinks to wet your whistle and serves up a selection of wine and beer.

Sexual Menu-endo

The Better Than Sex menu pushes the limits when it comes to sexual innuendos. Dani and Len want the menu to be fun. All menu items have sexually charged names and the descriptions offer up all the lusty details. In fact, Dani has shared that menu development is one of her favorite parts of the business. She comes up with the names and descriptions for each of the desserts.

For example, the Naughty By Nature: Pure and innocent is what she may be on the outside but take one sultry swallow and your instincts will bring you to the naughty side. The allure of her voluptuous strawberry bosoms ignite the passion fruit behind. Inserted ever so coyly are layers deep of vanilla bean cake with a tart temptress of lime zest. She's a sweet & sassy natural beauty from the inside that will leave you lusting after her. Don't be a voyeur. Be bold.

Today, Better Than Sex continues to churn out decadent desserts that are full-on sexy and made from scratch just as Dani and Len imagined it from the start.

Extending from Coast to Coast

The first Better Than Sex opened in Key West, FL. The couple describe the original location being 'design on a dime.' They had very humble beginnings. With limited funds, they rounded up mixed-matched thrift store and street side finds that they could fix up with their own sweat equity. Like many startups, the early days of Better Than Sex had Dani and Len serving as owners, chef, dishwashers, and every position in the restaurant to get it off the ground.

The original Better Than Sex restaurant opened with a rocky start. Key West was hit with four hurricane evacuations, which kept the tourist-heavy area void of visitors and even locals. Dani and Len proved that they were in for the long haul and prevailed. They remained focused on improving and growing their business.

The Key West location opened in 2008. In 2015, the Orlando, FL restaurant opened. By 2018, the brand was ready for franchising and the first franchise location opened in Savannah, GA. A second franchise location opened in the Plano-Dallas, TX area the following year. The brand kept going westward and entered the California market with their West Hollywood-Los Angeles restaurant in 2021. Soon, Greenville, SC also welcomed a Better Than Sex - A Dessert Restaurant location.

The brand has their sights on more corporate growth in the Florida area soon and further expansion in Orlando.

"We are incredibly honored to have the support of our franchisees who believe in our brand and are just as passionate as we are about bringing our unique concept to their markets," said Len Johnson.

Love Connections

Better Than Sex – A Dessert Restaurant is all about connections! The restaurants encourage guests to connect over their delectable desserts and take it a step further with their "Spark Cards." Guests are encouraged to ask each other a series of curated questions, via iPad, during their dining experience. The intent of the questionnaire is to spark new thoughts, ideas and maybe even learn something new about your date or dates.

To get guests coming back for more, Better Than Sex launched their Friends With Benefits program in 2023. This rewards program allows guests to earn points for every dollar spent. Points may be used for future visits.

"I feel so fortunate to be able to take the things I love- and do them with the person I love- and transform them into something fun for the world to enjoy. Our team is continually exploring ways to seduce guests with our offerings and make us the go-to for sophisticate-sexy dessert dining experience," added Dani Johnson. "We had such humble beginnings and realized over the years that our hard work and commitment would bring us to today and through the future. I'm so excited to see where Better Than Sex goes and to continue to be in the driver's seat with my life and business partner, Len!"

To learn more about Better Than Sex – A Dessert Restaurant, visit www.betterthansexdesserts.com.

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