St. Pete’s Frog Pond re-opens next week under original management

When The Frog Pond closed due to COVID-19 on March 17, 2020, neither management or its loyal patrons knew if its doors at 890 3rd Ave. S would ever open again.

But to the delight of breakfast-lovers and early risers throughout the Burg’, downtown St. Pete’s Frog Pond will celebrate its grand re-opening on Monday, April 4 at 7:30 a.m.

Managing partner and co-owner Joshua Garcia tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that him and his team are still looking for more kitchen staff, and that the menu for next week's grand opening might be a bit limited for the time being.

Returning back to its roots—and the menu that its Redington Beach location has boasted for the past 42 years—The Frog Pond will once again dish out classics like omelettes, frittatas, waffles, quiches, Benedicts and breakfast crepes.

In addition to loaded breakfast platters, The Frog Pond will also offers salads, sandwiches and soups for lunch. And exclusive to the downtown St. Pete location will be a dog-only menu called the “Lily Pad Pooches Portions” for pup-owning patrons sitting at its revamped outdoor patio.

A homage to the Amped Fitness gym it shares a plaza with, this Frog Pond location will also sell a bulked-up breakfast special called the “The Bull Frog,” which consists of 8 eggs, a pancake, steak and seasonal fruit.

Besides its new pooch-friendly offerings and downtown-exclusive menu with specials like chicken and waffles and shrimp and grits alongside "The Bull Frog," there won't be many other changes to The Frog Pond's menu or atmosphere.

For about three years before its 2020 closure, downtown’s Frog Pond was ran by folks that deviated from its original menu, distancing itself from its sibling locations on Redington and St. Pete Beach.

Garcia tells CL that he and his silent partner purchased all of the equipment from the downtown Frog Pond’s previous owner, as well as the franchise rights from David Hitterman—one of the original owners of the Redington and St. Pete Beach locations.

Redington’s location has been open since 1982, while St. Pete Beach’s opened in 2007.

Garcia was the assistant manager at the St. Pete Beach location for about two years before taking over the revamped downtown breakfast joint— a golden opportunity that took him by surprise.

“If you would have told me 7 months ago that this was happening, I wouldn’t have believed you,” the longtime manager-turned-co-owner says.
Both Redington and St. Pete Beach locations have remained open over the past two years, and boast the same classic Frog Pond menu they’ve had for decades. Downtown St. Pete’s location is basically double the size of its sibling restaurants, but you can still expect large crowds at Monday’s grand opening.

Garcia also tells CL that once things are up-and-running at the new location, that he has plans to have late night hours Thursday through Saturday. These overnight hours aim to accomodate first responders, medical staff that work in downtown's hospitals, and perhaps some tipsy bar-hoppers as well.

And although the Frog Pond is one of St. Pete’s busiest breakfast joints, Garcia promises that no matter how crowded the restaurant is, that him and his staff will always offer the quickest and friendliest service around—something that he truly prides himself on.

Starting on Monday, April 4, downtown St. Pete’s Frog Pond will be open 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends.

Garcia says that operating hours could change as the breakfast spot re-adapts, so follow the Frog Pond on Facebook at @PoppafrogDTSP1 for the latest information.