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Pelican Diner departs

After 50 years-plus on St. Pete Beach, a familiar restaurant venue is now but an empty site.

By ROBERT SAMUELS
Published February 27, 2005

ST. PETE BEACH - Teddy and Renee Roos were walking down Gulf Boulevard last week when they noticed a part of the city's history had vanished.

The Pelican Diner, a '50s-style mobile restaurant that preserved its look into the 21st century, was gone. The diner closed in 2001, and plans for the property have been changing ever since, from keeping the diner to tearing it down. In the end, owner Jeff Francis had the building moved to a warehouse on Tyrone Boulevard last Wednesday.

For the Rooses, the presence of the empty lot served up instant nostalgia as they passed by.

"It had a flair to it," said Teddy Roos, 53. "It will be a tragedy to see a strip mall or a place to sell ice cream in its place."

Francis, who bought the Pelican in 2003, plans to refurbish the building until its aluminum-steel frame glimmers as brightly as it did when it opened in 1951.

"I plan on preserving it and opening to the public again," Francis said. "It's history and I'm not planning on putting it anywhere outside of the county." He added that he was unsure where the Pelican would be relocated.

It has long been rumored that a wealthy antique collector from Montana bought the Pelican with plans to put it in a fancy antique museum. That's partially true, Francis said.

He grew up in Pinellas, he said, but spends his summers in the northwest. He does run a museum in Montana, but didn't have plans to ever move the Pelican outside of the area.

Breakfast at the Pelican was one of the best things about Pinellas County, Francis said. He would look forward to eating the bacon, eggs and grits there, as well as enjoying pleasant conversation.

"I just couldn't bear to see it torn down," Francis said. "It's a really superb example of what a '50s diner would be like - maybe the best example."

Next door to the Pelican was Gayle's Restaurant, a similarly designed diner that still opens for breakfast and lunch each day. Tom Kilpatrick, who owns Gayle's, said he remembers when the diner was moved from New Jersey to St. Pete Beach 54 years ago. For a long time, Gayle's and the Pelican had a friendly rivalry over which was the best diner in the city.

"Some great people owned that restaurant," said Kilpatrick, 85. "Now tell me, where but here can you get fresh home-cooked meals?"

The land at 499 75th Ave. is owned by Michael McDonough, a senior loan consultant at Washington Mutual. McDonough, who sold the diner to Francis, did not return phone calls requesting information on future building plans.

On a foggy Wednesday night, not long after the diner was moved, a fence surrounded the property's excavated dirt and white sand. Pink-cushioned seats lined the sidewalk. All that remained was the frame of a room that had likely been the kitchen.

The famous sign with a boy pulling a fish out of a pelican's mouth wasn't there. Gone were the friendly waitresses and the casual dining experience.

Indeed, most everything had disappeared except for some tools, a conspicuous canister of Quaker Oats and the kitchen sink - literally.

Teddy and Renee Roos stopped and peered through the fence, remembering what it once was. Mrs. Roos smiled and said, "They just don't make them like they used to."

[Last modified February 27, 2005, 00:12:17]