It will be the second location for the restaurant, which serves modern Middle Eastern street food and has another brick-and-mortar space in Sarasota.
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A Sarasota food truck that opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant will soon add another location, also joining one of the area’s busiest dining and shopping districts.
Modern Middle Eastern street food concept Florence and the Spice Boys plans to open Monday, April 28, in University Town Center at 257 N. Cattlemen Road #90 in the former space of Fat Point Brewing (which itself took over the former spot of BurgerFi.) It will be the second location for Florence and the Spice Boys, which started as a food truck in 2019 before opening a restaurant in south Sarasota shopping plaza The Landings.
Florence and the Spice Boys is operated by Florence Schmitt and her husband, Steven Schmitt, as well as Carl Kolber and Collin Blakeman, whose resume includes chef at Owen’s Fish Camp in Lakewood Ranch. Schmitt said multiple reasons factored into the decision to open their second location in UTC: customers in the Lakewood Ranch area who wanted them to be closer; that it felt “a little bit more season-resistant” than other areas in Sarasota; their previous relationship with Benderson Development, who operates The Landings and UTC; and the space itself, which is larger than their other location and had outdoor access.
“So we wanted the space to accommodate all of those dreams, and that space was big enough, but not too huge,” Schmitt said. “And taking on board Collin, he has a huge amount of experience in the industry and when he came onboard, we felt like, ‘OK, maybe we really can do this,’ because he really understands the kitchen and how high-volume restaurants work.”
Schmitt said the lunch menu at Florence and the Spice Boys will largely look familiar to customers of the Landings location, which serves dishes such as a turmeric fried chicken sandwich and chicken shawarma or falafel pita tacos. However, the dinner menu will feature a variety of kebab dishes, such as shawarma, shrimp and pork shoulder on skewers.
Florence and the Spice Boys’ UTC location will also have a full-liquor bar and feature a signature cocktail list, along with beer from Sarasota’s Calusa Brewing and other beverage options. It also plans to offer a daily happy hour, 3-5 p.m., and a 99-cent martini deal for customers who order from the menu from 5 to 6 p.m.
The 2,500-square-foot space will seat about 160, and make the most of their outdoor space, Schmitt said. That will include an enclosed outdoor garden dining space and an indoor-outdoor bar, as well as a shawarma cart kids play area.
Florence and the Spice Boys plans to be open 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. daily in its dining room, and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Friday and Saturday at its bar and patio. For more information, visit florenceandthespiceboys.com.
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