Store to open 2nd location

ST. PETERSBURG -- Smart & Final, which sells bulk food, food service products and professional cooking equipment, is opening its second store in St. Petersburg in the Tyrone area.

The Los Angeles-based company plans to add more stores in Pinellas County in the next few years, according to Ross Roeder, chairman and chief executive officer. Roeder has a home in St. Petersburg.

The first St. Petersburg store is at 3131 Fourth St. N. The chain also has one in Clearwater. Roeder said Pinellas probably could support four to six Smart & Final stores. Hillsborough also is a possible area for expansion.

The new Smart & Final is at 2020 66th St. N, taking up half of the old Scotty's store at that location. It will be just over 22,000 square feet and a little more upscale, according to Randall Oliver, director of corporate communications in Los Angeles. The new store is scheduled to open in mid September.

Roeder said the company often renovates existing stores but it also builds its own.

Fourth Street Outback to open Monday

ST. PETERSBURG -- Outback Steakhouse opens Monday at the old Bradford Coach House site on Fourth Street N, reviving a venue that was vacant for more than a decade and bringing the popular Australian-theme restaurant closer to downtown.

Outback currently has a restaurant in the Tyrone area of St. Petersburg. The new one, at 1900 Fourth St. N, is a $5-million project involving the Outback company, based in Tampa, and developer Clark D. East.

The new Outback is opening on Monday because that day of the week usually is not as busy for restaurants as other days. Fewer diners means the staff will have more time to get used to the new restaurant, a spokeswoman said.

The Bradford family owned and operated the coach house for 30 years. Because of its banquet rooms, it was a popular meeting place for civic groups. The coach house closed in 1990. The St. Petersburg Yacht Club used the facility for about a year and a half while its downtown waterfront structure was under renovation. The coach then house sat vacant until an investment group bought it in early 2001 with plans to get it ready for Outback.

Sail on 'StarShip' for brunch, dinner

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Yacht StarShip, a dining and party cruise ship that has been sailing out of downtown Tampa since it came to the area last fall, now is offering brunch and dinner cruises on Sundays from the Pier.

St. Petersburg residents requested that the ship make cruises from this side of the bay, according to Troy Manthey, chief executive officer of Yacht StarShip.

The yacht was in St. Petersburg in November to give residents a look at its 181 feet with three decks that can accommodate 600 people and be rented for private parties.

For more information on the Sunday brunch and dinner cruises from the Pier, call toll free 1-877-744-7999.

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