Britton Plaza In Tampa Might Be Demolished And Rebuilt Like Midtown

It looks like Britton Plaza located in South Tampa might be demolished and rebuilt soon. The plaza was built in 1956 and includes a variety of stores. However, several stores in the shopping center have left recently making the plaza look like a ghost town. The rumor is that the owners of Midtown have bought Britton Plaza and they plan on making it a similar concept.

The first major store to leave Britton Plaza was Stein Mart during Covid. It was shocking that they were downsizing especially since the store always being so popular but they did eventually leave. Since then, no business has moved into that retail space which seemed odd. But recently, more stores have been leaving the area and it might be because the owners are not renewing leases. Big Lots just closed its doors for good and now we just found out that Beall's Outlet next to Publix will be closing as well. It looks like the owners are intentionally not renewing leases.

The rumor is that Midtown has bought Britton Plaza and they plan on making it a similar concept. They want it to be just like Midtown Tampa with shops and restaurants. However, this idea is leaving residents upset that they could potentially be building more apartments. Many residents are excited to see the plaza be revamped but others are worried about it. They are not happy about the idea of a 'Midtown' build in the Britton Plaza area. One resident said, "We don’t need that many additional apartments with people and vehicles in South Tampa. It’s so crowded already. Our neighborhood streets need help and we need complete sidewalks. They will just give huge tax breaks to the big developers to build a pretty, new shopping center while our neighborhoods are ignored."

Although, it doesn't seem like the entire structure would be torn down. Publix just spent a considerable amount of money to rebuild that Publix so that's not going anywhere anytime soon. If something is rebuilt. it could be the side where Burlington Coat Factory is located and maybe where Big Lots used to be. However, nothing has been officially announced if you live in the area you definitely see a difference in the plaza because it's starting to look like a ghost town with one big church and a Publix.

It's no secret that we have some of the best dining options in the Tampa Bay area. And it seems like more and more companies are expanding to the southeast/Florida in general. But there are a handful of really great restaurants that are missing in our area. Whether it's fast food or a sit-down restaurant, we think these restaurants need to make their way to Tampa.

One honorary mention that we left off the list is Del Taco. There's a location in Orlando that we always stop at whenever we go to the theme parks or a concert. Earlier this year the news broke that the Tampa Bay area could possibly be getting several Del Taco locations. But things have been quiet since a press release went out earlier this year. Other big chains that have made their way to Tampa include Dave's Hot Chicken, Dutch Bros (coming soon), Raising Cane's, and a few others.

When you travel to other states do you try to stick with restaurants you know? Or are you willing to try something new? We've tried all the places on our list and have wished we would see a Tampa location open ever since. Even though we always try to eat at local restaurants in Tampa, sometimes it's easier to order takeout or visit a drive-thru. One of the biggest requests in the Tampa area is In-N-Out. Although some may see the burger chain as over-hyped, we think a Tampa location would do really well. Any places we missed on our list? Feel free to shout it out on social media and maybe we'll add it! We got our inspiration from Creative Loafing after we noticed a few places on their list have made it to Tampa.

Obviously the first on our list is In-N-Out. Everyone has their own opinion on the west coast burger chain. Some think it's overrated, and some think it's the best fast-food burger out there.

We're surprised that one of the biggest fast-food chains in the south hasn't made it's way to Florida AT ALL! Cook Out has a stacked menu of everything you could want with those old school fast food prices. Plus they have over 30 milkshake flavors. Can we start a petition to bring Cook Out to Tampa?

This is for all the deep dish pizza lovers. Although there are some great local spots that make an awesome deep dish pie, nothing beats Giordano’s. They do ship frozen pizzas across the country but we need a Tampa location!

We get that we have Chick-Fil-A, Popeye's, Zaxby's, Raising Canes, etc. But would one more chicken restaurant really hurt? There are already a handful of locations in Florida, but the closest one to Tampa is in Sanford, just a little north of Orlando.

This breakfast place is SO good! We are BEGGING for a Florida location, even if it means we have take a drive from Tampa. Snooze Eatery is spread across the southern half of the U.S. with locations in Colorado, Texas, Arizona, California, and even Georgia.