Bob Singer: Citizen of the Year, Opening Bravo at 74 & ”Just Getting Started” | Ep. 38

Bob Singer's dad started with 38 used cars after his chicken plant burned down. 60 years later, they sold Merchants Fleet as the 4th largest fleet management company in America — 70,000 vehicles on lease. Now at 74, Bob says he's "in his embryonic stages." He just opened Bravo restaurant, bought the New Hampshire Union Leader, and is being honored as the 2026 Greater Manchester Chamber Citizen of the Year on March 6th. Carol sits down with Manchester's biggest deal maker to talk about losing his son Jordan to cancer at 28, creating Jordan's Dream Fund to help young sarcoma patients afford clinical trials, the Gail Singer Memorial Blood Drive (40+ years running), and how he met Chef Daniel Henry at a bar. Oh, and Carol used to be his nanny!! 📍 Bravo Restaurant – 73 Hanover Street, Manchester, NH 📍 Café at Bravo – 85 Hanover Street, Manchester, NH 🔗 bravonh.com | cafeatbravo.com 🔗 Jordan's Dream Fund: curesarcoma.org 🔔 New episodes drop every Tuesday — hit SUBSCRIBE and turn on notifications so you never miss one! 👇 Follow Beyond the Plate everywhere: YouTube: youtube.com/@beyondtheplatewithcarol Instagram: @beyondtheplatenh Facebook: Beyond the Plate NH TikTok: @nhbeyondtheplate Spotify: Search "Beyond the Plate with Carol" ABOUT BEYOND THE PLATE WITH CAROL Carol Erickson, owner of Red Arrow Diner since 1987, sits down with the people behind New Hampshire's food and hospitality scene. It's not just about the food – it's about the journeys, the community, and what drives people to go beyond. 📍 Red Arrow Diner – 4 NH locations, open 24/7 🔗 redarrowdiner.com Follow Beyond the Plate: Instagram: @beyondtheplatenh TikTok: @nhbeyondtheplate Facebook: Beyond the Plate NH YouTube: @beyondtheplatewithcarol Follow Carol: Instagram: @carolsew24 🔗 Carol's Linktree: linktr.ee/BeyondtheplateNH Follow Red Arrow Diner: Instagram: @redarrow24diner Facebook: Red Arrow Diner TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Intro 1:07 - Where can people find Bravo 2:14 - Growing up in Manchester's North End 2:48 - Irving Singer starts with 38 cars (not 50!) 4:03 - "I despise school" - Bob's honest confession 5:00 - Dad bringing home college students for hot meals 5:41 - 38 cars to 4th largest fleet company in America 7:21 - "I was the worst CEO in history" 😂 7:47 - Running a family business with 7 siblings 8:52 - "I'll go warm up the car" - his dad's joke 😂 9:56 - The decision to sell Merchants in 2022 11:17 - "I never wanted to sell" 12:02 - "I'm in my embryonic stages at 74" 13:17 - Losing Jordan at 28 15:52 - Stuart Scott quote: "You beat cancer by how you live" 16:27 - Creating Jordan's Dream Fund 18:44 - Boys & Girls Club - Jordan Singer Youth Enrichment Center 19:02 - Singer Center for the Arts at Palace Theatre 20:17 - "Manchester people are different and special" 21:43 - Let's talk about Bravo 22:19 - Meeting Chef Daniel at the bar 23:07 - "I bought two industries with the highest fatality rate" 😂 24:32 - Walking through Bravo's front door 26:18 - The menu: Chilean sea bass, short rib on a foot-long bone 27:05 - Carol's favorite: the duck duck potato 28:04 - Café at Bravo - bread delivered fresh at 4:30am 29:56 - Sunday brunch coming in April! 32:00 - Carol reveals: "I was your nanny" 32:51 - Shopping on Newbury Street with baby Amanda 33:43 - Advice for family businesses: "Load up on meds" 😂 35:04 - Lightning Round 36:04 - "What would Jordan say?" 36:15 - Closing: "The future seems bright"