Business Beat: Updates On Glory Days Grill, Volkswagen & Aldi

This under-construction strip plaza on S.R. 54 will be home to Glory Days Grill, Domino’s Pizza and Max’s Natural Pet Market & Salon within a few months

.As development continues at a breakneck pace in Wesley Chapel, more and more businesses are rushing to fill a need or desire. For a while, one of those business segments that had been needed and desired was sports bars.

It may soon be time to consider that need filled.

Glory Days Grill, which opened its first location in New Tampa in 2014 and has opened more than 30 restaurants since — including 10 in Florida — is coming to Wesley Chapel in the strip currently under construction on S.R. 54 being developed by Wiregrass Ranch’s JD Porter.

The business strip also will be home to a Domino’s Pizza and Max’s Natural Pet Market & Salon (see ad below), is located just west of Saddlebrook Resort on S.R. 54.

Glory Days is a sports-themed restaurant and bar, with dozens of large screen televisions. Its menu consists of traditional sports restaurant fare and does it pretty well with tasty burgers and steaks. It also offers a wide selection of craft beers and other drinks.

 Although it can be classified as a chain, the Glory Days Grill in New Tampa, which occupies the space at one time occupied by Lee Roy Selmon’s,  has been an active participant in the local community, sponsoring many events at the local high schools and at community sporting events. It is one of New Tampa’s more popular food and drink destinations.

Max’s Natural Pet Market and Salon will set up shop in a 2,800-sq.-ft. space in the strip and owner Paul Spalveri says it should open sometime this summer. And, although it is not expected to open until this summer, MaxsPetMarket.com is live now.

VW IN THE WC?: Volkswagen has renewed its interest in a Wesley Chapel location, filing site plans for a 27,845-sq.-ft. automotive dealership on S.R. 56.

Volkswagen of Wesley Chapel is eyeing a location on Silver Maple Pkwy., on the south side of S.R. 56, across the bust roadway from the MINI of Wesley Chapel dealership.

Plans were originally filed for a dealership in 2014, but Volkswagen’s auto emissions scandal that year put the project on hold at that time.

ALDI IS STILL COMING…HONEST!: More than three years and two different locations since it was first reported that Aldi was coming to Wesley Chapel, the super-popular, no-frills discount supermarket chain finally has the green light to put shovels in the ground.

On April 22, Aldi received final approval from Pasco County to begin construction on the new 22,335-sq.-ft. store, which will be located on the southeast corner of S.R. 56 and Wesley Chapel Blvd., in front of the Costco Warehouse.

Dozens Of New Tampa Swimmers Helping Beat Cancer

Emma Bryan, a Wharton High School freshman, fills her back with the names of people she knows and who have lost their battles with cancer, before participating in Swim Across America. She is one of at least 25 swimmers from Greater Tampa Swim Association who raised money for cancer research at the event in St. Petersburg today.

Emma Bryan put on a bathing suit and cap this morning, warmed up and swam, like she’s done most days of her young life. As a 15-year-old competitive swimmer, she spends a lot of time in the pool.

Today, she swam in open water, for her grandmother, her aunt, and her elementary school friend — all people she has lost to cancer.

This was the fourth year that Emma, who is a freshman at Wharton High, participated in the Tampa Bay Swim Across America event, which raises money for cancer research and took place at North Shore Park in St. Petersburg.

Participants chose between the half-mile, 1-mile or 2-mile distance, Kayakers and paddleboarders also participated.

“Every year I raise around $1,500,” she says, “and 100 percent of that goes to cancer research centers, so I know it’s going to a good place.”

Proceeds from the Tampa Bay event go to the Moffitt Cancer Center and pediatric cancer research at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.

Emma is just one of many kids and teenagers participated in the event. They swam together as part of the Greater Tampa Swim Association (GTSA), and their coach encourages them to participate.

“It’s great for our kids to help out their community and do things that are outside of themselves,” says Julia Lamb, who is the owner and head coach of the New Tampa branch of GTSA (there also is a South Tampa branch). “The kids really take ownership of it. They register and create their own page and go out and get donations.”

The fund-raising goal was of $20,000.

Julia said Emma and the event’s team captain, Brooke Harrigan, did a great job and thought outside the box to raise money, such as selling bracelets and hosting spirit nights.

Brooke is a senior at Brooks DeBartolo High School who lives in Live Oak Preserve. She says she loves participating, in part because she knows that all expenses for the event are covered by sponsors so that 100 percent of the donations made to her and her team go directly to Moffitt and Johns Hopkins.

Moffitt Cancer Center acknowledges on its website that, since 2012, the Tampa Bay Swim Across America event has raised more than $1.1 million to fund Moffitt’s Adolescent and Young Adult Program activities and has supported clinical trials for more than 40 patients with stage 4 metastatic melanoma.

Julia adds that Johns Hopkins just enrolled its first patient in an immunotherapy trial that was specifically funded by Swim Across America.

The swimmers all believe that their fund-raising efforts are making a difference in the lives of those who are affected by cancer.

“When I swim at the event, there’s a list on my arm of who I’m swimming in memory of or in honor of,” says Brooke. “Every year I add to that list. It’s bittersweet to know another person’s been impacted by cancer, but it’s one more person I can impact through this swim.”

Swim Across America is a national organization that started with a single event in Nantucket, MA, in 1987, and has grown to 20 open water swims and 100 pool swims across the country this year.