After announcing last week that its final day would be Wednesday, Spaghetti Warehouse has decided not to leave Ybor City after all.
Mike Kim, vice president of business and development for BLD Brands, which owns the Spaghetti Warehouse chain, told CL Wednesday afternoon that the restaurant had every intention of closing its doors. However, BLD was "completely moved" by the emotional reaction — calls, emails, Facebook comments, stories — the news evoked in patrons.
The decision to stay open was made Tuesday night.
"I'm not saying I cried," Kim said. "But I'm saying no one saw me."
For BLD, a restaurant brand with 150 eateries in its portfolio, the response was, as Kim described, amazing to see. While many Spaghetti Warehouse employees have left and the crew is kind of scrambling, "It's kind of empowering how awesome it is."
The restaurant currently occupies a nearly 12,000-square-foot space in historic Ybor Square, which is owned by The Church of Scientology (COS). The long-term plan is to look for a new location and ensure Spaghetti Warehouse has a stable presence in the Tampa area. Though BLD loves Ybor, factors like parking and customer base have changed since the event-driven restaurant opened in 1983.
Meanwhile, the restaurant is negotiating with its landlord, COS, to stay where it is for the foreseeable future.
This article appears in Mar 3-9, 2016.
