The biscuits are seasoned.
You know, the biscuits — as in the disks that patrons of Shuffle: The Heights Shuffleboard Society will propel toward their scoring triangles once the doors open. And their seasoning is a sign the indoor shuffleboard-focused bar and restaurant is getting closer to premiering in Tampa Heights.
How does one season this sort of biscuit, though? Shuffle owners Jennifer Montgomery and Danielle O'Connor turned to Erik Hahmann, vice president of the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club, for a little help.
"We measured [the biscuits] to make sure they were level, and then we sanded them to get them level," Montgomery said. "Then you put them in, like, this polisher — that's the seasoning. You put wax on it, and then it spins."
While the duo to expects to repeat the process every couple of months (and invest in their own polisher), it'll also depend on how busy they are, which, Montgomery hopes, is very.
Since CL first spoke with O'Connor and Montgomery about Shuffle last summer, the project's headquarters at 2612 N. Tampa St. has been transformed. The kitchen's coming along, the bar looks good, and, most importantly, the quartet of blue regulation-size shuffleboard courts are in place.
Getting the courts right was crucial. After all, the plan is to eventually offer Tuesday league nights (to avoid interference with St. Pete Shuffle's league nights on Mondays and Wednesdays) as well as memberships, just not right away. There will be a fee to pick up a game, too, but that amount remains up in the air, though $10 per person per hour is a possibility.
"We're actually going bowling in the next couple of weeks to see, 'How much did that just cost us?' A pitcher of beer, four people bowling, four hot dogs," Montgomery added.
And don't worry, tabletop shuffleboard nerds — two will accompany the real deal.
On the food end, shufflers choose from refined concession stand offerings, including vegan options, spearheaded by Dough alum Jen Reese. Think hot dogs with gourmet toppings, homemade pickles and bags of popcorn.
They're welcome to wash it all down with a curated selection of wine and beer. Canned and draft brews will be as local as possible, though the focus is mostly on the cans.
Throughout the 4,700-square-foot space — which features a huge yard out back with lots of potential for expansion in the future — seating options abound, ranging from high-top tables to stools at the bar or the kitchen counters. Patrons will dig the window-like hole Montgomery and O'Connor knocked into the brick wall that separates the bar area from the courts, especially because it allows them to keep tabs on the shuffleboard action while grabbing a drink.
Shuffle is in the middle of inspection and waiting on a certificate of occupancy. However, the owners anticipate an opening next month.
Well, sort of. According to Montgomery, they have a Coppertail Brewing Co. tap takeover scheduled for March 8 in honor of Tampa Bay Beer Week, and the place has to be ready. But the event, of course, is dependent on that CO.
"When we first open, we're probably gonna be soft-open for a couple of months while we figure it all out," Montgomery said. "So just word of mouth, which will be plenty."
This article appears in Mar 1-8, 2018.