Double Branch: Finally Cooking!

The kitchen at Double Branch Artisanal Ales (DBAA), the first business to sign a lease at the new Village at The Grove development, is finally open.

Travis Glenn and his wife Tammi (photo) are renting the space from DBAA co-owner Ryan Clarke and will manage the food side of the micro-brewery, which is called “Omnivorous.” Travis has been a general manager of various restaurants in his 30 years in and out of the business, including eight years at the Dark Horse Brewing Company in Marshall, MI.

Travis has been with DBAA since the day it opened, working as a bartender, but when the original kitchen manager backed out, he applied to take over.

That’s good news for the pub, which has weathered Covid-19, and the lack of a kitchen, from the day it opened. Travis says you could just see the money floating out the door as patrons stopped by for a beer on their way to dinner somewhere else. “It’s been a huge loss,” he says. “People pop their heads in and ask if we have food. I feel like I’ve turned away 30-35 people a day. It happens all the time.”

The menu at Omnivorous features wings, burgers and “good, honest, straightforward bar-type food” with some personal touches, like amazing Brussels sprouts. Everything is made from scratch, his brisket is smoked in-house, the burgers are smash-style and one of Travis’s goals is to have the best chicken wings in the area, with some unique sauces.

One of his fryers is dedicated to only vegan and gluten-free options, like French fries and those delicious Brussels sprouts.

DBAA has other plans as well. There’s a new brewer, Robert Hunt, who used to work at Tampa Beer Works, in charge of the beers. Ryan says they will continue to produce the wide variety of pilsener, IPA, Hazy and Sour beverages, including a soon-to-be released Grove Gold Florida pilsener, named after Grove developer Mark Gold.

Ryan also had added video and board games to the selection of entertainment, and is already hosting events like yoga, where an hour of Sunday yoga is followed by a beer. The first yoga class was held last month, drawing 23 people. And, while Omnivorous isn’t currently open on Sundays, adding brunch on the weekends also is being considered.

Ryan also would like to put together a Father’s Day beer festival.

“The (Covid) delays have definitely created challenges,” Ryan says. “We’re still very excited about the things coming to The Grove, like the container park, and the new apartments across the street, and looking forward to what this can be.”

For more information about Double Branch Artisanal Ales (5956 Wesley Grove Blvd.), call (813) 492-8800 or visit DBAA.com. — JCC