It happens in the middle of winter – your friends and relatives from “up north” descend upon you, discard their hats and mittens, show their pale knees to the sun and implore you to take them out to breakfast “somewhere on the beach.”

Of course, they’re envisioning a place where they can practically dine in their bathing suits, toes in the sand, the smell of sunscreen overpowering the freshly brewed coffee and pumpkin pecan spice muffins. Where seagulls practically eat off their plate (why exactly do people find that charming?) and the sound of the waves lulls them to sleep woken occasionally by the carried squeal of children splashing in the surf as waves destroy half-completed sand castles.

Welcome to Benny’s on the Beach.

Thank goodness it exists – fulfilling expectations for every visiting Northerner (or in my case Midwesterner) and repeatedly charming the sandals off locals since 1986.

Neither storm damage nor construction at the Lake Worth casino does much to diminish the charm or delicious food– whether it’s the stuffed red raspberry granola French Toast ($9.95) or any of their large, fresh omelets or benedicts. It all tastes better with the salty ocean breeze.

Throw in a mimosa, a covered upstairs if Grandma just got her hair done, and an extensive enough menu to please your picky, picky aunt and there’s really no way to go wrong (did we mention their extensive line of Greek specialties?) Congratulations - you have cleverly managed to please everyone in your family, all while eating some of the area’s best French toast and sipping an optional Bloody. Everyone wins this morning.