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NEWS

STREET EATS

25 Apr 2007

All of today’s vendors have distinct styles and personalities, and all maintain classic street vendor traditions: fast service, great company and even better food.

By: Nikita Patel and Rebecca Wainwright

Twenty years ago, business was booming for downtown street vendors. Now the boom has decreased to just a handful.

“There would be walls covered by people, eating and chatting … there was never a spot open and it was sometimes hard to get food for lunch,” said Mike Thompson, an avid connoisseur of street vendor food for the past 20 years.

All of today’s vendors have distinct styles and personalities, and all maintain classic street vendor traditions: fast service, great company and even better food.

However, of the many street vendors that Tampa once had, only five remain at the top of people’s lunchtime lists. Here are the best to check out:

Far East
Located directly across from Nick’s Grill is Far East, a different kind of street vendor. Owners Henry and Theresa Nguyen differentiate themselves from the norm, offering their customers homemade Asian creations. Their daily specials include beef ragu on Mondays and Tuesdays, stuffed green peppers on Wednesdays, and roast pork lo mein to round out the business week.

They also serve coconut chicken everyday and offer side orders such as egg rolls.
The chicken teriyaki was delicious, though the rice was not up to par.

Despite the less-than-outstanding rice, Theresa’s spunky personality overshadows any lack of flavor the dishes may have.
Prices are low, ranging from $1-$4, which has kept customers coming back for 12 years.

“I like it here,” Henry said. “Especially when the weather is nice.”

Marty’s
With a line as long as downtown itself, Marty’s has proven to be one of the most popular and long-lasting vendors Tampa has seen. For 25 years, Marty Greenwald has been serving a variety of hot dogs to the public, cultivating a loyal fan base.

“I’ve been eating at Marty’s for about 15 years, five days a week,” Thompson said.

It is easy to see why customers keep coming back for more. The hot dogs were cooked to perfection, New York-style.

Marty’s also offers his popular mustard paired up with horseradish. Apart from the usual condiments, Marty’s serves Sabrett beef franks, jumbo beef franks, Polish sausage and Italian sausage with prices from $2.25-$4.50.

Greenwald, who graduated from USF with a degree in business, started Marty’s on the corner of 131st Street and 19th Street by the VA Hospital in 1981. Years later, customers are still flocking to Marty’s – now on the corner of East Kennedy – with only positive remarks.

“I like it because it’s New York quality, because of the taste and because of the sauerkraut,” said Francisco G. Burac, a local worker. “The mustard is not like any other. It’s pretty good. From a scale of 1-10 when we talk about hot dogs, I give it a 10.”

Nick’s Grill
For those in the mood for Americana cuisine, stop by Nick’s Grill, which boasts a menu containing burgers, Philly cheese steaks, grilled chicken, Cuban sandwiches and more with prices from $1-$6.75. The owner of Nick’s – who chose to remain anonymous – has been serving food for 20 years, but he does not feel the same way he did two decades ago.

“The area is dead – there’s no business. It used to be better,” he said.

However, he continues to serve his regulars, like Eugene Manning from Plant City.

“Sometimes, I like to get high energy food,” Manning said. “I’m a construction worker, and we work hard. It’s much better to have a hot meal than a cold one.”

Though there is no real way to ruin sandwiches and chicken, Nick’s subpar supplies (such as stale bread) could deter some customers. Nick’s Grill also offers combo meals and is located on the corner of Kennedy Boulevard and Franklin Street.

Sodie’s Inc.
With the slogan “The Deli Best,” Sodie’s specializes in hot dogs, Italian sausages – which can be topped with items such as peppers and onions – and corn dogs, with prices ranging from $2.25-$5.15. Though the menu may be restrictive, the short lines and low prices make up for Sodie’s shortcomings.

Instead of searching around town for his entire lunch break, Tampa Bay area employee Kevin Arnott decided to try Sodie’s.
“I was looking for a Chicago-style hot dog, but I couldn’t find one,” Arnott said.

Located on the corner of Franklin and Madison Streets, Sodie’s Inc. has been around for almost 10 years, but Senaf Pickhardt has owned the business since 2003. For more information, visit Sodiesinc.com.

Sidewalk Cafe and Pizzeria
“I love my job!” Hernan Gomez proclaimed over the Top 40 music blaring from speakers at the Sidewalk Cafe and Pizzeria.

The number of patrons in line made it obvious that the gooey pizza was worth the wait. In fact, by the time some people got to the head of the line, there was no pizza left, which might put off potential customers since it was the middle of lunchtime. Regardless, the Sidewalk Cafe and Pizzeria features a menu that not only includes pizza by the slice – prices go up to $5.25 – but also breakfast and other lunch items.

Gomez, who has been at the pizzeria for eight years, operates the stand with his wife, Cheyenne. He not only loves his job, but he also loves the location.

“The mayor is right there,” he said of the cafe’s Franklin Street location.
And with a line that could definitely challenge Marty’s, there is a lot to be excited about.

LINK TO THE WEBSITE:  media.www.usforacle.com/media/storage/paper880
/news/2007/04/25/Montage/Street.Eats-2878897.shtml
or
http://www.usforacle.com/2.6026/street-eats-1.620676

Nikita Patel and Rebecca Wainwright 
 

OPEN FOR BUSINESS

14 Apr 2007

This article is about the changes to downtown Tampa due to the construction of new condos and how it is effecting business in the downtown Franklin St. Mall..

TAMPA TRIBUNE
Author:  Janice D. Froelich  email: jfroelich@tamptrib.com

DOWNTOWN – CC’s Bagels & Deli owner Rob Dmetroshko is concerned about all the closed restaurants in his neck of the urban woods.

He rattles off the most recent: Italian Pavilion, 505 N. Franklin St., Bread & Butter Gourmet Deli, 507 N. Franklin St., and The Office Cafe and Grill, 511 N. Franklin St.

Franklin Street Mall, running between Twiggs and Jackson streets, has seen better days.

“Even McDonald’s and Burger King closed here,” he said, shaking his head. “Where do they ever close?”

Dmetroshko, who has operated CC’s at its present location, 510 N. Franklin St., for one year, hopes this marks the end of slow times and the beginning of busier days.

“If I didn’t have my wholesale,” he said of selling to local hotels, “I don’t know what I’d do.”

Dmetroshko used to be housed in Manhattan Bagels, 602 N. Franklin St., which was torn down when the Maas Bros. property was razed.

“I’ve been here 11 years so I’ve seen it all,” he said. “And I can tell you 10 years ago was better.”

“Things can only get better,” said neighbor Philip Chan, who operates Grill Station, 508 N. Franklin St. “Sometimes you have to hit bottom before things improve. I just hope it doesn’t get worse.”

Chan said his wife persuaded him to open his buffet Chinese restaurant nine years ago in downtown Tampa instead of now-bustling St. Petersburg.

“Why is our city not taking off?” he said. “I ask that, and no one has an answer.”

There are signs of life on Franklin Street Mall.

At a glitzy evening party last week, the Element, a 35-story condominium project, opened its sales center at 507 N. Franklin St. Its 395 units will be priced from the low $200,000s to about $600,000.

The Element, under construction at 808 N. Franklin St., will offer residents amenities such as the Home Automation Lifestyle Organization. The HALO technology will allow them to order services from restaurants and other businesses.

Dmetroshko doesn’t think the addition of downtown residents will help his business too much.

“If they don’t work downtown as well,” he said, “they’ll leave their building in the morning and return at night.”

Another of his neighbors thinks otherwise.

Abbey Dohring, vice president of The Dohring Group, is enthusiastic about the opening of her company’s renovated Walgreens drugstore building at 514 N. Franklin St. The original Madison Drug Store, built in the art deco style in 1925, will soon house pizza and coffee shops downstairs and offices upstairs in its 20,000 square feet.

Dohring said she was happy to see some of the storefronts in Franklin’s 500 block painted recently.

“It’s been a real boost,” she said. “I believe this area will come alive. It takes a few new businesses to get things going.”

Sharon Graham, the city’s special events coordinator, has overseen Franklin Street Mall entertainment and street vendors for 21 years. She has seen the mall, which is closed to vehicles from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays, struggle in recent years.

“Once we get people moving in,” she said, “I believe we will see a new era.

“This is only three blocks [plus] Lykes Park, but we manage to hold constant entertainment and offer various promoters,” she said.

Graham said the mall’s last heyday was in the early 1980s when she, like many, shopped at Maas Bros. and ate at downtown restaurants.

“By the time all this revitalization is finished, I expect a boom time again,” she said.

About a dozen vendors operate food and beverage carts, paying about $132 a month plus other charges and taxes for mall space.

Since 2003, Senaf Pickhardt has operated her Sodie’s hot dog cart in front of the CVS Pharmacy.

“It’s a very personal thing,” she said. “People want to know us and talk.”

When Walgreens closed in April 2003, Pickhardt said her business dropped 30 percent.

She’s happy now with her following of customers buying the plump $2.25 hot dogs, but it’s not enough for her to make a living on Franklin Street Mall.

“When I’m not here,” she said, “I’m working for a law firm.”

ON THE MALL

Franklin Street Mall, running between Twiggs and Jackson streets, and Lykes Park play host to many events, including:

VARIOUS PERFORMERS: from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 20, 25 and 27, and May 2, 8, 10, 15, 17, 23 and 24.

SPECIAL EVENTS: National Day of Prayer, 9 to 11 a.m. May 3; Tampa Police Memorial Service, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 11; Alive After Five, 5 to 9 p.m. May 11; Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Barbecue, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 16; Elvis Festival, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 18; and a Homeless Event, 8 to 9 a.m. May 22.

INFORMATION: Call Sharon Graham at (813) 274-8519

LINK TO WEBSITE:  www.tbo.com/southtampa/MGBT7RO3H0F.html

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