The management/leasing company for downtown Tampa's Bank of America Plaza, 101 E Kennedy Blvd., has finally landed a restaurant tenant to serve some 2,000 workers in the biggest office tower on Florida's west coast.
Elliotts' Off Broadway, a New York-style deli chain from the Chicago area, plans to open in January in a storefront facing Jackson Street in the plaza's parking garage building.
On-site restaurants are an expected amenity at top-shelf office buildings, says Michael Hoffman of CB Richard Ellis, which took over management of the high-rise with its acquisition of Insignia/ESG this year.
Employees want a place in their building to grab a sandwich or salad on rainy days or when they need to eat at their desk. Businesses also like to have a restaurant nearby to cater working lunches or events.
Class A office buildings, with the most frills and highest rents, are Elliotts' niche, spokesman Bob Penucci said. The company can squeeze a deli into as little as 300 square feet, he said, although the BofA Plaza location will be about four times that size.
The menu typically includes breakfast items, such as omelets and bagels, and wide array of lunch fare, including about two-dozen kinds of sandwiches, salads, pizza and soups.
Hoffman has been looking for a restaurant since the Sassy Cafe closed about two years ago. He had offers from small local operators but wanted an owner with a reputation and financial muscle behind it. Elliotts' corporate owners are searching for a franchise operator but will open the local restaurant on their own if necessary, Penucci says.
