The All-New Grove Theater, Bistro & Entertainment Is Opening Soon & You Definitely Need To Check It Out!
When youโve been in the local news business as long as I have, you hear a lot of people do a lot of talking, but very few back up their words with solid action.
Considering that developer Mark Gold of Mishorim Gold Properties has only owned The Grove shopping center development for about a year, youโd think thereโd be no way he could back up everything he promised to do when he spent more than $64 million to buy The Grove in late 2019.
And youโd be wrong.
Since then, during the worst pandemic of our lifetimes, Gold has turned The Grove area he calls โThe Villageโ from a mostly vacant mess into a vibrant new destination anchored by Treble Makers Dueling Piano Bar & Restaurant and Double Branch Artisanal Ales, with much more to come.
Closer to the Outback Steak House, Gold already has begun delivering on another promise โ to create a container park that will dwarf Sparkman Wharf in downtown Tampa by sometime this year.
But now, Gold has done something that certainly seemed impossible when he took over the former Cobb 16 Theater at The Grove towards the end of last summer โ heโs not only ready to reopen it, heโs completely transformed it into The Grove Theater, Bistro & Entertainment โ and he promises the formerly failed movie theater he and his team have totally overhauled in less than six months will be a safe, family-friendly experience that will attract visitors from far beyond the borders of Wesley Chapel.
โSouth Tampa will come here to see this,โ Gold promises. โThereโs nothing else like this in the U.S.โ
Iโll admit I was excited when Mark Gold and his team took us on an exclusive tour of all of the unique entertainment options that will be available right here in Wesley Chapel when The Grove Theater, Bistro & Entertainment opens to the public sometime after this issue reaches your mailbox.
The Grove Theater will have 12 new-release movie theaters, including six VIP sections upstairs, with literally the most comfortable reclining theater seats youโll find anywhere. But, thatโs just the beginning.
In addition to a huge arcade stocked with 43 giant-sized video games near the entrance, The Grove also has one theater that will be solely for children in a safe, supervised environment.
โItโs going to be like a nanny room,โ Mark says. โParents can feel comfortable leaving their kids while they have dinner or watch their own movie.โ
Another will be home to a โSpin Theater,โ equipped with competition-style stationary bikes, both for top athletes to use for training and for those who want to exercise while watching a movie. There will be instructor-led classes, as well as open spin classes.
Still another theater will be available for rent for private parties and events. โFor a birthday party, you can rent the theater for $300-$400, pick whatever movie you want and weโll screen it just for you,โ Mark says.
Plus, yet another theater will be offering Broadway and other professionally produced shows that Mark says will be brought in by a professional theatre company.
And finally, as we announced in our Sept. 29, 2020, issue, one theater will be the concert-style-seating home of SideSplitters Comedy Club. Thereโs even a SideSplitters reception area near the completely reconfigured movie concession stand. SideSplitters, of course, has a popular location on N. Dale Mabry Highway in Carrollwood, where top-level comics, as well as yours truly and members of the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel have performed.
A True Dining Experience
But, best of all, Gold also has transformed the theaterโs second-floor dining and bar area into a legitimate high-end bistro, complete with a sushi bar and Italian-trained Head Chef Wissam (โSamโ) Itani.
โItโs a chef-driven concept,โ says Grove Theater manager Tom Peck. โWeโll have everything from Mediterranean items like chicken shawarma, steaks, salmon, you name it.โ
Peck adds that the whole concept is to keep guests at the Grove Theater for longer than the average 2-1/2 hours spent at most theaters by the average moviegoer. โWeโre not just a movie theater,,โ Peck says. โWeโre both a great restaurant and the greatest entertainment experience ever.โ
Concerned about safety these days? Who isnโt? But, Gold and his team have that covered, too!
โI think weโre #1 in safety out of all the movie theaters in the country,โ says VP of operations Matheus Gold. โWe have fog machines sanitizing each theater after every movie, disinfecting UV lights, temperature and mask checks when you enter and hand sanitizing stations everywhere.โ
In other words, if you live anywhere near Wesley Chapel, you should definitely check out the all-new Grove Theater, Bistro & Entertainment. Thereโs literally nothing else like it.
โThis is a totally new concept that is the future of movie theaters in the U.S.,โ Mark says. โEveryone really needs to come see this place.โ
For more info about The Grove Theater, Bistro & Entertainment, visit GroveShopping.com.
