Report: Popular Florida Buffet Restaurant Chain Closing Permanently

Author Geno

May 8th, 2020 7:42 AM

Restaurants in Florida were given the green light to begin reopening this week. But there’s one that is calling it a day and they are all over Florida: Sweet Tomatoes. It makes sense given customers all touch the same utensils and are in such close contact with all the food on display.  The company actually got its start in California as “Souplantation.” The expanded to Florida in 1990 as Sweet Tomatoes. They had several locations here in the Tampa Bay area in Tampa, Largo, Brandon, and Palm Harbor. The restaurant offered an endless buffet with salads, pasta, soup, pizza, baked potato and soft service ice cream.

The San Diego Tribute reports the company was already seeing a big drop in revenue years before COVID-19. But the spread of coronavirus appears to be the lethal blow. One analyst said the new standards and regulations would make it impossible for the restaurant to operate, saying these type of restaurants “do not fit into the new reality.” [Source: San Diego Tribune]

#GenoAteTampa: Geno’s favorite spots to eat in St. Pete

• Engine No. 9

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  They're a bit pricey. You'll pay about $20 for a burger, tots and a Coke. But their burgers are creative and top notch. The goat cheese burger is my usual.

• Big Stein’s Deli

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  This monstrosity you see in the photo is the "Park Avenue" triple decker. Roast beef, turkey, Swiss cheese, cole slaw pilled high with Russian dressing.

• Mazzaros

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  It gets no better than Mazzaros. The Hot Italian #20 sandwich is my must get. But they have fresh pasta, pastries, wines, cheeses and it's the only place you can find the blueberry soda from Maine I love.
• Fresh Kitchen

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  It's on 4th not far from the radio station. It's a healthier choice and I'm not known for healthy eating so you know it's good. Only strike against this place is the portion size is kind of small. But it's one of those places most go to eat healthy. I'm 6'4 and about 300 pounds so I'm probably not their usual customer.

• Italia Mia

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  Their chicken parmesan is probably my favorite in all of Tampa Bay. It's so good that I probably visited 2 or 3 dozen times before I finally tried their pizza, which is fantastic too. But stick the NY style. The Sicilian pizza wasn't so great.

• Tropicana Field

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  I know it sounds crazy but seriously this Short Rib Grilled Cheese Sandwich they served at Rays game could be the answer to the attendance problem.
• Red Mesa

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  They usually serve a steak burrito for lunch that'll be your last meal of the day. Don't think you can go wrong with anything on the menu here though.

• Metro Diner

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  OK, I said I'm not a chain restaurant fan. However, the cinnamon roll pancakes are epic.

#GenoAteTampa: Geno’s pizza tour of Tampa Bay

Let me show you around Detroit, New York City and Chicago… without leaving Hillsborough and Pinellas County.

• Arte Caffe in Bradenton

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  The newest addition to my list is a close runner up to my favorite pizza in Florida. The crust has a perfect texture. The sauce is out of this world. The cheese has the perfect level of saltiness. I don't get to Bradenton often but every time I go, this tiny intimate Italian restaurant will be a new stop for me. The penne pasta was excellent but the pizza was insanely good.

• Lee’s Grocery in Tampa

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  This place is rated best by many Tampa pizza lovers. I like it. It's better than Tampa's other favorite Eddie & Sam's (which I find really average). It's in a quiet neighborhood so you have to seek it out. It's close to the 275/I-4 merge on Central. If you're in that part of town, it's a solid choice. Not my favorite in Florida, but in the Top 10 for Tampa area for sure.

• Pizza Haven in Brandon

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  I unfortunately discovered this place just as I was moving away from the Brandon area. Not the top of my list, but far from the bottom. Nothing fancy. Just good pizza from a local mom and pop shop. I love those.
• Cappy’s In Riverview

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  This was one of my first great pizzas I discovered when I moved to Florida. Pizza lovers argue about New York vs. Chicago style pizza. Cappy's has both. Their NY style is good, but the Chicago version is excellent. They also have other locations, including one in St. Pete I've tried a few times. But the Riverview restaurant seems to do it best. It's definitely not an everyday pizza. Deep dish pizza is an event or an occasion. You will not leave hungry.

• Paul’s Chicago Style in St. Pete

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  I know many who swear by Paul's being the best around. It's good but I think Cappy's does deep dish way better. However their deep dish isn't bad at all. Call way ahead because deep dish takes a while to make. Paul's loyalists will tell you the REAL Chicago style pizza is the super thin crunch crust.

• Due Amici in Ybor

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  There are plenty of pizza spots in Ybor City. There's one on a side street off 7th that I can't remember the name of at the moment. But it's frustrating because depending on who's working, some nights it's awesome and some nights their pizza is terrible. But Due Amici is pretty consistent. The game changer for me was when I tried their Sicilian style.
• There’s such a thing as Detroit style pizza?

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  I honestly had no idea Detroit had their own style of pizza until I discovered Pizza Squared near Busch Gardens in Tampa.

• But sadly…

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  I am sad to report that Pizza Squared is no longer with us. They started going downhill and eventually went out of business about 3 years ago. They had fantastic wings too. It was my Super Bowl go to spot for years.

• Fortunato’s in Pinellas Park

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  Listeners insisted I try this place. It's good pizza, but not great. Thing is in Florida, we have so little great pizza that places like this tend to stand out. It's not a bad pizza, just not great... nothing special to make it unique.
• Little Italy in St. Pete

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  I felt I should include it since so many have told me it's their favorite. To me it's not really all that flavorful. It's thin and light. I'm a fat guy. I like something hearty. But it's good.

• Mama Rosa’s Italian Touch

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  This spot was once held by Italia Mia. I was crushed when I saw that Italia Mia closed. What I didn't know is the original owners moved to a new place - Italian Touch near Kenneth City.

• My New Jersey favorite came to Florida…

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  I'll never forget when I first heard that Grimaldi's, a legendary pizza spot in NYC and New Jersey, had chosen Florida for its first franchise locations. For a few years, there was none better for me.
• Grimaldi’s…

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  I normally am not a chain pizza person, but they captured the magic of the pizza from Grimaldi's locations in NYC at their Florida locations.

• Sorry Grimaldi’s….

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  So is that it? Is Grimaldi's is my #1 pick? Nope! Grimaldi's style of pizza, coal oven, was eclipsed when listeners insisted I try a similar pie in Clearwater and I never looked back.

• Cristino’s In Clearwater

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  I saved the best for last. I won't even let you argue. I've lived from Maine to California. There's no better pizza in the Tampa area than Cristino's. There's not a lot of parking. It's a pain for most who live in Tampa Bay to get to. But you get rewarded with that first bite.
• Look at this thing… it’s art.

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  Cristino's, I love you. You make national lists for a reason. You're a pain in the butt to drive to but that's probably for the best. Otherwise I'd be there weekly. And I'm fat enough.

• Sorry New York City…

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  The first time I had pizza at Cristino's was right before a New York City trip. The pizza was so good that I didn't even seek out pizza when I was in NYC. That's a crime. You can not go to New York City and not have pizza. It's just wrong. But Cristino's is that good.

• Keep it simple.

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  To get the best experience at Cristino's, go with the basic and just tell them you want TheMargherita with extra sauce. It does have cheese, but like most elite pizza spots, they know to put the cheese below the sauce. This tends to weird out many amateur pizza eaters. But trust me. It's the way pizza is supposed to be done.

If you’re up to do some traveling, here are some of my other favorites…

• Micucci’s in Portland, Maine

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  When I go home to see family, this is usually the first stop. Their thick Sicilian style slabs may be my favorite anywhere. It's not the kind of pizza you'd eat every day. It's a monster. The sauce is sweeter than you may be used to but it's tangy and the cheese is salty. They don't make pizza to order. You walk in. If there's any pizza left, grab a box. If they're currently sold out, you wait. They don't customize pizza with toppings. You take what you can get.

• Capizzi in NYC

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  Good ol' fashioned Brooklyn style pizza. Brick oven pizza with Sinatra playing... it's my happy place in NYC. But just like Boston, honestly, with NYC, if the pizza isn't good, they won't stay in business with rent prices that high.

• Pizzeria Regina In Boston

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  It's an icon in Boston. Honestly it's almost a 200 way tie for first place. You can't find bad pizza in Boston. The rent is too high and if the pizza wasn't good, they'd go out of business.

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Author Geno

Category:

• Geno

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#GenoAteTampa... a collection of Geno's favorite places to eat in Tampa Bay!,Brandon,Food,Largo,Palm Harbor,restaurants,Sweet Tomatoes,Tampa