‘Gourmet delivery’ restaurant Doormét closes in St. Pete

A bright yellow eatery on downtown St. Pete’s prized 600 block has permanently closed its large garage doors.

According to St. Pete Catalyst, “gourmet delivery” restaurant Doormét recently closed its second location at 681 Central Ave.

Owner Jim Huss detailed the restaurant’s closure to each customer on its email list, explaining the different reasons why Doormét closed just two years after its debut.

“We have had consistent issues in St. Pete, everything from finding help, to growing the business, to increased food costs, to increased labor costs, high rents, and a general difficulty in reaching residences and getting orders from homes at night,” the farewell email reads. “Ultimately, these issues caused family issues and were a serious detriment to our quality of life.”

Its flagship Tampa location has been up-and-running for more than a decade, but as Huss said in the email to his customers, they were “sure that we would replicate Tampa’s success. However that did not come to fruition.” 

Doormét was known for its modern American menu of wings, pizzas, pastas and burgers—fresh meals that could be delivered to your door without the extra fees and hassle of a third party app.

The only remaining Doormet location in Tampa Bay resides at 1155 S Dale Mabry Hwy. no. 12, and will fulfill any current catering orders that its now-closed St. Pete restaurant had. Gift cards can also be used at its Tampa location, or can be refunded by emailing  info@doormet.com for folks that are unable to cross the bridge.

Doormét’s second location debuted in downtown St. Pete in the summer of 2020, offering much-needed delivery services during a time where most restaurants were still dealing with COVID-19-related limitations.

Early last year, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay food critic Jon Palmer Claridge called Doormét “a pleasant surprise,” lauding its Italian-style chicken dishes and hand-tossed pizzas.

To order delivery or pickup from Doormét’s original Tampa location, head to   doormet.com.

This article appears in Nov 3-9, 2022.