Category: News

Nibbles & Bites: Fazzoli’s & Barberitos Are Coming Soon To S.R. 54

Research by Joel Provenzano

*The current construction at The Shoppes at Cypress Creek.*

Although it’s not going to be located in Wesley Chapel, a new 8,000-sq.-ft. building now under construction on S.R. 54 in Lutz, less than a mile west of the Tampa Premium Outlets (and just west of the Mobil gas station), will finally soon be home to two new restaurants — Fazoli’s and Barberitos.

People have been asking for a while about these two fast casual eateries, as the signs for both had been located at the site for more than a year before the plaza, which is being called The Shoppes at Cypress Creek, began construction.

*The Take 5 Oil Change facility has been open for several weeks now in what is being called The Shoppes at Cypress Creek.*

Well, even though only the Fazoli’s sign is currently still standing, it appears that both restaurants are going to be included in the same under-construction building between the Mobil station and the new Take 5 Oil Change (see bottom photo), which is the first of what ultimately will be four buildings to be located on the 3.52-acre site.

The site plan submitted with Pasco County by St. Petersburg-based retail developer Paradise Ventures, Inc., calls for three retail tenants in the under-construction building (photo below), the nearly 2,700-sq.ft. westernmost one (closest to the already-built Woodie’s Wash Shack) with a drive-through lane, which we’re assuming will be Fazoli’s, since all of the chain’s current locations (including the nearest one on E. Busch Bvd.) have a drive-through.

Based on the development’s site plan, it appears that Barberitos will be located in the 1,800-sq.-ft. easternmost space (closest to Take 5) and an as-yet unnamed retailer in the 2,675-sq.-ft. middle space.

The third building at the site, which is not yet under construction, is a future restaurant pad that the site plan says will be a maximum of 5,500 sq. ft.

For leasing and other information about the Shoppes at Cypress Creek, call John Mott at (727) 812-1555 or visit ParadiseVenturesInc.com.

More About Fazoli’s

According to Fazolis.com, the Kentucky-based chain founded in 1988 has more than 200 locations, the majority of which are franchises in more than half of the 50 U.S. states, including six in Florida.

*The Ultimate Sampler (fettuccine Alfredo, spaghetti & meatballs, penne w/meat sauce and lasagne w/ meat sauce.*

The 35-year-old company’s slogan is “Fast. Fresh. Italian.” and fans of the brand say the breadsticks are “even better than Olive Garden’s.”

Well, I’ve never been a fan of Olive Garden’s breadsticks, but I do love Italian food, so I am hopeful, since Jannah and I live so close to the coming-soon location, that it will be worth the long wait. I likely will visit the Busch Blvd. location sometime after this issue hits mailboxes to try it out.

In addition to those breadsticks, Fazoli’s features pizzas, pastas (including baked pastas like lasagne and chicken parmigiana), “Snacks & Shareables” (like baked meatballs and fried mozzarella bites), hot and cold subs, salads and a variety of pasta samplers, such as the four-item combo shown above.

More About Barberitos

According to Barberitos.com, the Athens, GA-based fast-casual Southwestern cuisine eatery was founded in 2000 by Downing Barber. The restaurant’s slogan is “Food • Community • People.”

The “Coming Soon” notification I found says that Barberitos features, “farm-fresh burritos, tacos, quesadillas, salads and more in a casual, family-friendly atmosphere. Choose one of our popular specialty items or create your own favorite from one of more than 30 toppings…and our made-in-house salsas.”

The nearest to us of the 50+ Barberitos throughout the southeastern U.S. is in Panama City, FL, so I guess I won’t be able to visit one anytime soon.

Zac Brown Band Member’s ‘Hop On A Cure’ Visits Treble Makers Nov. 4

John Driskell Hopkins, who has earned fame as a guitarist and vocalist with the Zac Brown Band, was diagnosed with ALS in Dec. 2021. Since Mar. 2022, he has been raising money for his own “Hop On A Cure” nonprofit to help find a cure for the dreaded disease. Hopkins and his trio will play a fund raising show at Treble Makers Dueling Piano Bar & Restaurant on Nov. 4. (Photo: Dave Kotinski, Getty)

Now that Halloween is ending, if you’re looking for something fun to do that also will help support a great cause, you should get your tickets now to the “Hop On A Cure” fund raiser to find a cure for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” that will be held this Saturday, November 4, beginning at 1:30 p.m., at Treble Makers Dueling Piano Restaurant & Bar at The Grove.

John Driskell Hopkins, affectionately know as “Hop” by his bandmates in the Zac Brown Band and his other friends (including Treble Makers owner Jamie Hess), was diagnosed with ALS in December of 2021 and started his “Hop On A Cure” 501(c)(3) nonprofit in March of 2022 to raise money to help find a cure for this dreaded nervous system disease, which currently has no cure.

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Jamie and Hop and although he admits that his guitar playing, speech and ability to walk have definitely slowed since being diagnosed, he feels fortunate that his ALS is a slow-moving version of the illness.

“I have a friend who was diagnosed in his 20s who lived almost 30 years with it, but other people die within just a couple of years,” says Hopkins. “It affects everyone a little differently.”

Although his Wikipedia.com profile calls Hopkins the bass player in the Zac Brown Band, he says he only played bass on the first three albums. He was the band’s co-founder with Brown and its deep harmony voice for the last 18 years. He also has writing credits on some of the band’s top hits.

Hopkins will be bringing his John Driskell Hopkins Trio — which includes drummer Mike Rizzi, who also is a close friend of Jamie’s from high school — to play some of the band’s original compositions, rock and country covers and some Zac Brown favorites, like (maybe) “Toes,” on which he earned a writing credit.

“Hop On A Cure raised over $1 million our first year,” Hopkins says. “Our goal is to raise $2 million in our second full year.”

Hopkins, who got his start in Tallahassee in the early ‘90s, still plays guitar, sings and tours with the Zac Brown Band (which is famous for hits like “Chicken Fried” and its four platinum albums), as well as with his trio, and says he plans to keep playing and touring for as long as he can. “My strength and agility aren’t what they once were,” Hop told me. “But I plan to keep working at this until we find a cure for ALS.”

Hopkins was one of more than 20,000 people in the U.S. living with ALS, which usually afflicts people ages 40-70.

Tickets for the fund-raising event at Treble Makers on Nov. 4 cost $40 per person and include a buffet meal, Angels & Outlaws Live (2 p.m.-3:30 p.m.), and Hop and his trio (4 p.m.-5 p.m.).

“We’re only going to sell 300 tickets and every dollar raised will be donated to Hop On A Cure,” Hess says. “Hop is a great guy and I just want to help him find a cure.”

For tickets, visit TrebleMakersofWC.com or call (813) 406-4371. To make a donation, scan the QR code above or visit HopOnACure.org.

ALS Hop On A Cure Jamie hess John Driskell Hopkins Mike Rizzi treble makers Wesley Chapel Zac Brown Band

Why Are There So Many Car Washes In Wesley Chapel?

Research by Jannah Nager

Wesley Chapel, New Tampa and the surrounding areas are — fortunately or unfortunately — known for being overrun by regional and national chain restaurants, nail salons, multi-story self-storage facilities and, of course, huge car wash buildings.

And, while some of these car wash facilities are locally owned and/or regional chains. the trend in this industry is in the growth of large conglomerates offering you the opportunity to have your car washed by giant machines in just a few minutes while you stay seated in your vehicle with the gear shift in “Neutral” and the windows closed. Most of these car wash facilities offer recurring monthly memberships that the companies are hoping you’ll use like many people do gym memberships — meaning they hope you use them as little as possible or not at all as you continue to pay each month for the equivalent price of two or three jacked-up individual washes.

While they are obviously profitable, why do we already have — and seem to need — so many of them?

Pretty much anytime I’m on Facebook, I see someone in one of the many Wesley Chapel Facebook groups making a snide comment about how many car washes we have in and around our area.

*Woodie’s Wash Shack, which opened on S.R. 54 in Feb. 2022, west of the Tampa Premium Outlets, plans to open a Wesley Chapel location on Oakley Blvd. near The Grove. (*

So, why are there so many dang car washes? While some online critics believe they’re all money laundering (no pun intended) fronts, the fact is that they are hugely profitable, especially when they’re owned by a large national or regional company.

One industry official, who asked to not be identified for this story, says it’s because, “just as McDonald’s isn’t really in the hamburger business, but in the real estate business (at least according to the 2016 movie “The Founder,” starring Michael Keaton as McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc), these big car wash conglomerates are buying up valuable land, putting a car wash on them and, many times, selling the land at a huge profit a few years later.”

However, Glen Stygar, a partner in Woodie’s Wash Shack, which has 16 Florida locations, including one that opened in Feb. 2022 on S.R. 54 in Lutz (less than a mile west of the Tampa Premium Outlets), says there are more reasons why car washes keep popping up in affluent areas across the country.

“For one thing,” Stygar says, “people in today’s fast-paced world no longer want to have to wash their cars themselves or pay someone a lot of money and spend many hours detailing their vehicles, and they don’t have to as much anymore because they can get a membership at a local car wash and have their car washed as many times a month or a week as they want, for one low price.”

He adds that memberships are the biggest reason places like Woodie’s and big chains like Mister Car Wash (with more than 400 locations nationwide, including several in our area) and Tidal Wave Auto Spa (with nearly 200, including one between Zaxby’s and Aldi near Costco) continue to proliferate everywhere.

In fact, Woodie’s has another location planned (but not yet under construction) on Oakley Blvd. in Wesley Chapel, which will one day be a neighbor to the new Super Target store in The Grove.

*Mister Car Wash has 400+ U.S locations, including this one in New Tampa and three more in & near Wesley Chapel.*

As I mentioned on page 1 of this issue, it is very much like the fitness facility model that has worked for decades. Many people who buy a membership at an initially very low price (that goes up after a 1-3-month trial period) rarely or even never use that membership, but continue to pay month after month until they finally either cancel or begin using it enough to get their money’s worth. Stygar wouldn’t say that Woodie’s hopes you’ll never use your membership — and he did say that the company’s policy is to never give you a hard time to cancel — but as someone who paid for a membership for three months and only used it twice in that time, I certainly can understand how this can be a profitable business model.

Car washes also aren’t as labor-intensive as they once were — fewer people insist that someone dry their cars after they come out of the machine (and most offer you free cloths to dry your car yourself) — and while the vacuums also are free when you get your car washed, they no longer have people vacuuming your vehicle for you.

Mister Car Wash is the current local market leader, having taken over two local Clean Machine locations on BBD in New Tampa, and with two local locations on S.R. 54 (one in Wesley Chapel and one in Lutz), but there are currently ten drive-through membership-based car wash places in and around Wesley Chapel — and more are on the way.

*Tidal Wave Auto Spa has 194 U.S. locations, including this one next to Costco and 12 total in Florida, with five more coming soon.*

And of course, the list in the next column doesn’t include the wash-it-yourself car washes, hand auto detailing places or drive-through car washes at local gas stations.

As for pricing, the cheapest prices we found among the membership car washes were at The Palms Car Wash on Post Oak Blvd., where a single “Express” wash costs just $5 and an Express membership is just $14.95 a month. The most expensive prices we found were at Tidal Wave, with the cheapest single wash being $12 and the most expensive being the Graph-X4 wash for $30. Monthly memberships at Tidal Wave range from $23.97 to $49.97 per month.

We’ll look into another local favorite — self-storage places — in a future issue.

Local Drive-Through Car Washes

Name	Location
Mister	29891 SR 54, WC
Mister	24124 SR 54, Lutz
Mister(Clean Machine)	20306 Trout Creek Dr, NT
Mister(Clean Machine)	17501 N Palms Village Dr, NT
Top Edge	28221 SR 54, WC
Top Edge (coming)	27186 SR 56, WC
Woodie’s	24749 SR 54, Lutz
Woodie’s (coming)	Oakley Blvd, WC
Tidal Wave	2209 Sun Vista Dr, Lutz
The Palms	5550 Post Oak Blvd, WC
Jammin (coming)	BBD Blvd., WC

Car Washes Mister Car Wash The Palms Tidal Wave Top Edge Wesley Chapel Woodies

‘Grand Hampton’ To Debut ‘Anthology’ At The Tampa Theatre

Congratulations to local artist and filmmaker Antony Capers (photo, below) for the debut of the newest episodes of his supernatural YouTube serial “Grand Hampton The Movie Series.”

What started as a pandemic project with his family and neighbors in their New Tampa neighborhood has grown into a multi-year endeavor with a loyal cult following. The series takes place in Capers’ upscale Grand Hampton neighborhood that — the viewer soon discovers — was built by “The CONNECTED” solely for the purpose of housing citizens within the government’s witness protection program. The community has been experiencing some very odd occurrences, and — even more alarming — extraterrestrial beings have been seen roaming the quiet neighborhood’s streets.

Beginning with Season 3, the series began branching out to discover the dark stories of so many of Grand Hampton’s residents. And, on Wednesday, October 18, or only a day or so after this issue reached your mailbox, the historic Tampa Theatre (located at 711 N. Franklin St. in downtown Tampa) will host the premiere of an “ANTHOLOGY” of new chapters that bring three of these stories to life. Attendees will find out what happens in the world’s craziest house in “ABBY.” Then, witness the bond being broken between two brothers as they become part of an experiment in “PLACEBO.” And finally, we get to play a game of “SPIN THE BARREL,” where the winner actually loses.

After the screening, Capers, the “Grand Hampton” creator, and members of his cast will discuss the project and answer audience questions.

The doors of the Tampa Bay area’s oldest movie theater will open at 6 p.m. and there will be a social hour prior to the screening of the new trilogy, which is part of the Tampa Theatre’s annual “A Nightmare on Franklin Street” film series.

“Grand Hampton The Movie Series,” which was invited to participate in the Orlando International Film Festival (OIFF) in July, has been at the Tampa Theatre before, as Capers and his crew of talented actors not only got to present his “Super Vita” episode but also film a portion of it there.

Among those who have provided cameos in the series to date include New Tampa’s District 7 Tampa City Council member Luis Viera and former Tampa Bay Bucs offensive lineman and local radio/podcast host Ian Beckles.

“I also definitely want to thank my sponsors for the premiere,” Capers says, “including EmployEZ, UES-United Employment Solutions, Done Deal Promotions and ‘Aliens of the Metaverse.’ Without all of them, this event would not be happening.”

Tickets to the premiere of “ANTHOLOGY” at the Tampa Theatre on Oct. 18 cost just $10. To order, call the box office at (813) 274-8286 or visit TampaTheatre.org/movie/grand-hampton-the-movie-anthology. All “Grand Hampton The Movie Series” episodes are available on YouTube.

Anthology Anthony Capers grand hampton Grand Hampton The Movie Series Grand Hampton The Series Movie Premiere Tampa Theatre Wesley Chapel

Nibbles & Bites: Now Open: Slim Chickens, Bad Ass Coffee & Sorbo!

After a few delays, which certainly isn’t unusual here in Pasco County, Slim Chickens (at 27244 Wesley Chapel Blvd.) is finally open and the Arkansas-based chain with 225+ units and many more on the way is definitely worth a try..

The trio of partners who opened the Wesley Chapel Slim Chickens — Patrick Lee, Jared Blair and Charlie Blumberg — also have five additional units in development, with the closest planned for Mirada.

Jannah, Charmaine and I all enjoyed our sampling of the Slim Chickens menu two days before it opened. We loved the hand-breaded chicken & waffles, the crispy and aptly-named chicken tenders (photo, above), the garlicky Texas toast, the super-crisp wings with multiple different sauces (our favorites so far were the honey BBQ and garlic parmesan) and the signature mason jar brownie dessert. And yes, you can take home the mason jar!

For more info, visit SlimChickens.com or call (813) 923-7727.

It Is Bad Ass!

If you’re like me and crave delicious coffee from someplace other than the “S” word, I definitely recommend visiting the new Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii, located inside the same Shell gas station that already is home to a Taco Bus location, at 25195 S.R. 54, where it meets S.R. 56 and Wesley Chapel Blvd. in Lutz.

Owners Jillian (with Minnie Mouse, the Sicilian mini-donkey, in the photo, left) and Christopher Bruckner, who also own the adjacent Taco Bus, are excited about the response so far from the community.

And, please don’t be offended by the name. Born on the shores of The Big Island in our 50th state, the coffee is named for the stubborn donkeys who originally carried the coffee down the steep mountains.

Whether you love the name or hate it, the chain’s 30 locations serve delicious coffee and other beverages as well as a variety of breakfast and dessert items. My favorite beverage so far is the hot Caramel Wave with both caramel and vanilla flavors, while Jannah is partial to the iced blended Chai tea. We both enjoyed the cinnamon Malasada donuts and bacon, egg & cheese breakfast sandwich. We haven’t yet sampled the lunch sandwiches. For more information about Bad Ass Coffee, call (813) 949-2428 or visit BadAssCoffee.com.

Sorbo Opens On BBD!

Those who have more upscale taste in coffee and tea but also are partial to baked goods and wine can check out the new Sorbo at 2653 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. Owned by the same owners as Umu Japanese & Thai in the same plaza across from Advent Health Wesley Chapel, Sorbo (right) specializes in Matcha teas, espresso beverages and Refreshers. We’ve only sampled the tasty cappuccino and green matcha tea so far. For info, visit SorboWesleyChapel.com or call (813) 428-5396.

Shuckin’ Shack: Now Serving Fresh American Seafood!

The only people who have been waiting for the opening of the 20th Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar (at 25026 Wesley Chapel Blvd. extension) longer than yours truly are the people in the top photo — (l.-r.) co-owners Bill DiPaola and Brad Harper, GM Alie Ragsdale, manager Shane Cllett & kitchen manager Hunter Tilton.

Well, the wait is over and all I can say is that I genuinely like the North Carolina-based chain. The casual new eatery had only been open a couple of weeks at our press time, but Jannah and I had already sampled quite a few tasty — and properly priced — items, including (left) excellent steamed snow crab legs, (bottom, right) blackened mahi-mahi tacos and steamed local clams. Photographer Charmaine George said the “Greggah” lobster roll sandwich also was spot on. But, my favorite item so far has been the clam-loaded New England-style clam “chowda.” Trust me, this is not just potato soup with a bite or two of clams. So good!

Jannah and I already feel very much at home at the spacious bar (below left), which has plenty of TVs, full premium alcohol and specialty drinks, as well as beer and wine, just in time for football and hockey seasons! For more info, visit TheShuckinShack.com or call (813) 949-0016.

Alie Ragsdale Bad Ass Coffee Bill DiPaola Brad Harper Charlie Blumberg Christopher Bruckner Hunter Tilton Jared Blair Jillian Bruckner Nibbles and Bites Patrick Lee Shane Cllett Shuckin Shack Slim Chickens Sorbo Wesley Chapel