Last October, Miami chef Richard Hales told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay about his plans to launch Grateful Hospitality concepts in the Tampa Bay Area. The Tampa native is starting with Society BBQ, but he's been looking to expand Grateful's reach in his hometown now that he's relocated his family to Westchase.
His next move is apparently reviving a slice of OG Tampa culture with the acquisition of old school diner Pop 'N Sons. located at 4812 N Dale Mabry Hwy.
"I've been looking for a place that's been open for decades, that has history to it, my entire career as a restauranteur," Hales told Bay News 9. "It has some family connections to it, my family has been coming here for years."
Pop 'N Sons was one of the many restaurants that were unable to reopen after the initial shutdown in March due to COVID-19.
"I'm not a spring chicken anymore, and so I just didn't feel like really going through the ups and downs that has happened in the 45 years I've been here in Tampa," Pop 'N Sons' owner Jerry Reavis told the news station.
Luckily, Tampa Bay won't have to wait much longer until they get the classic 24-hour diner back on the block. Hales is shooting to reopen the diner before the Super Bowl comes to down (Feb. 7).
While he still plans on keeping the nostalgic feels, menu staples, as well as many employees, guests can expect the decorated chef to add new as well as seasonal dishes to the menu. More details to come as Hales and his team take the helm, and we inch closer to an opening date.
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This article appears in Jan 14-20, 2021.