On Tuesday, the restaurant group behind downtown St. Pete's Avenue Eat + Drink and Park & Rec announced the closure of its next-gen American diner, Kings Street Food Counter.
Kings — which the Hunger + Thirst Group premiered at 937 Central Ave. in the EDGE District in late 2015 and gets its name from owner Stephen Schrutt's English bulldog — plans to shutter on Aug. 5.
According to a statement from Schrutt, he felt it was time for the indoor-oudoor diner's chapter to come to a close. There is, however, a silver lining: The Hunger + Thirst founder and CEO has another project planned for the space.
"It's a great location for us to bring something new and more fitting to The EDGE District," Schrutt said. "I'm all about bringing community together and I am excited for our latest concept."
Hunger + Thirst will release more details on the newbie in the coming weeks, but the St. Pete community can look forward to a revamped restaurant and full-liquor bar taking over the roughly 2,900-square-foot property.
For diners with uncontrollable Kings cravings, the counter at Tropicana Field remains open during Tampa Bay Rays home games, offering a limited menu of street food favorites. Dishes include the Mac Attack hot dog, miniature corn dog bites and the Best of the Bay-winning sandwich melt that is Mac & Cheezus.
Park & Rec and The Avenue, neighbors along First Avenue South, aren't going anywhere, either.
