Long Island Restaurateur Seeks Love on Reality TV

From Northport to Paradise: A Local’s Second Chance at Romance

**Brian Autz**, raised on Long Island’s North Shore, is set to appear on ABC’s “Bachelor in Paradise” after an early exit from “The Bachelorette.” Now a restaurant partner splitting time between Long Island and Florida, he’s hoping for a better shot at love.

Reality TV Return

**Autz**, 34, appeared in season 21 of “The Bachelorette,” vying for **Jenn Tran’s** affection but was eliminated in the second episode. Undeterred, he joins season 10 of “Bachelor in Paradise,” premiering Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern.

The show assembles fan favorites from “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette,” and, for the first time, the “Golden” editions, sending them to Costa Rica. **Jesse Palmer** hosts, with **Wells Adams** as bartender. This season introduces the Azura Hotel and **Hannah Brown** as “head of paradise relations.”

Business Ventures Continue

While **Autz** couldn’t comment due to a nondisclosure agreement, his business partner and brother-in-law, **Sosh Andriano**, said the show didn’t stop them from expanding **Andriano’s** restaurant, The Whales Tale. The second location in Hampton Bays opened June 3.

“He was 11 when I started dating his sister,” says **Jennifer Andriano**, a Suffolk County police officer. “So in a lot of ways he was almost kind of like a son to me. And so when I opened [The Whales Tale] in Northport, he started working there at around 18 years old and up until his mid-twenties.”

**Autz** eventually became COO for Sosh Brands, which owns The Whales Tale and Harbor Head brewery. Later, he worked for other companies and still works for Merz Aesthetics as a territory manager.

Hampton Bays Expansion

“We’ve always spoken about doing something together,” says **Andriano**. He found the Hampton Bays location in March. The location, formerly Tully’s Fish Market and Snack Shack, “had the infrastructure in place for us to do what we do. So when I saw it, he was the first one I called. And because he was working on ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ it was a little challenging, but he wanted to do it and I’m glad he did.”

The restaurant industry is seeing a boom, with restaurant sales expected to reach $1.1 trillion in 2024, according to the National Restaurant Association (National Restaurant Association).

International Travel

In February, **Autz** vacationed in Japan for two weeks with fellow “Bachelorette” contestant **Devin Strader**. **Strader** broke up with **Tran** after the show’s finale.