Tag Archives: Sarasota

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EXCLUSIVE: First Watch to buy The Egg & I restaurants

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By Justine Griffin

MANATEE COUNTY – Like nearly all other industries, the restaurant business has metamorphosed through the years.

Some national and regional chains are feeling the push to compete with small businesses, as millennials and Generation X consumers flock to support hole-in-the-wall eateries within their communities that reach a younger customer through robust social media presence and online apps.

First Watch Restaurants, the Manatee County-based chain of breakfast, brunch and lunch cafes, also has evolved through the years to meet the demands of these new customers.

This year, First Watch introduced a new urban layout in restaurants across the country, including two sites in Florida: Largo and Estero.

The “urban farm” design is bright, colorful and modern. The build-out looks like something you’d see on a busy street in a bigger metro area than Sarasota.

“The new concept is more in line with the customer First Watch is targeting,” said Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Technomic, a food research firm based in Chicago. “It’s not fancier, but it plays on freshness and the importance of being local.”

Read more here. 

Sidebar:

First Watch evolves to attract younger customers: Like nearly all other industries, the restaurant business has metamorphosed through the years. Some national and regional chains are feeling the push to compete with small businesses, as millennials and Generation X consumers flock to support hole-in-the-wall eateries within their communities that reach a younger customer through robust social media presence and online apps. Read more here.

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unravel goes live

unravel

Unravel, a new product by the Herald-Tribune for young professionals in Southwest Florida, officially launched at the end of January.

I currently serve as the deputy editor of the site and, along with a team in the newsroom, spent the last year developing a business plan from what began as a off-hand idea.

 

Unravel is truly a mobile-first product.

It’s been a wild ride and I couldn’t be more proud of the result.

 

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Total Wine & More to open Sarasota store

 

total wine

By Justine Griffin for the Herald-Tribune.

Total Wine & More will open its second store in Southwest Florida on U.S. 41 in the recently renovated Pelican Plaza.

The wine, liquor and beer retailer — known for its affordable prices and expansive selection of alcoholic beverages — will open a 20,000-square-foot store next to Sports Authority, which the Herald-Tribune reported in February would arrive at Pelican Plaza.

Total Wine operates another store in the Shoppes at University Town Center (next to Nordstrom Rack,) that has been very successful.

The new Total Wine will compete with Costco Wholesale, next door inside Westfield Group’s Sarasota Square Mall.

Read more here.

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Drivers, don’t fret — Gas prices should ease further

blaserPhoto by Mike Lang, Herald-Tribune staff

Story by Justine Griffin for the Herald-Tribune.

John Blaser cringes every time he pulls into a gas station.

As the owner of a Sarasota-based landscaping company, he is on the road a lot, moving from one job to the next.

But lately, he has been feeling the pinch at the pump, as gas prices peaked last week at an average of $3.78 per gallon.

“I just don’t want to see it at $4.10 a gallon by the end of summer,” said Blaser, who owns Native Son Landscaping, which services Sarasota and Manatee counties. “The gas market is volatile. I know prices will fluctuate and eventually go down again, but I doubt it will go down that much.”

Drivers, rest assured: Prices will likely drop some and stabilize for the summer, analysts say, as oil refineries switch from a winter blend to a summer blend of gas. The Sarasota-Venice-Bradenton market felt some relief this week — prices hovered in the $3.73 range — but retail prices are still 30 cents more than they were a year ago, AAA data shows.

Read more here.

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Former administrator sues Sarasota airport authority

Story by Justine Griffin & Gabrielle Russon for the Herald-Tribune.

Former Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport administrator Michael Walley is suing the Sarasota-Manatee Airport Authority and the airport’s chief executive, claiming they interfered with his business relationships, concealed the capabilities of a computer program on shared electronic devices, caused him emotional distress and defamed him.

Walley — who worked as the airport’s director of development and community relations for 10 years and reported to CEO Frederick “Rick” Piccolo — left his position in January 2013.

In a lawsuit filed in Sarasota County circuit court earlier this month, Walley details allegations that he says ultimately led to his resignation.

The former airport executive is suing for defamation after Piccolo told the Herald-Tribune Walley left his post because he made a “grave mistake.” At the time, Piccolo would not elaborate for the April 15, 2013, story.

As the director of development — earning $113,119 per year — Walley spent a decade and nearly $1 million to help land foreign flights and bring new air carriers to airport, which aside from a few seasonal Canadian flights, is international in name only.

Read more here.