What type of new restaurant do we need?
 

Hi,

My wife & I will be moving down shortly and I have 25 years in the restaurant business. I want to explore possibly opening up my own restaurant in the Villages. What type of new restaurant would you like to see open?

Cheers,

Dylan & Erin

Something that serves a variety of good low carb options. Most restaurants in the Villages carb load just about everything. I would gladly pay a premium for some decent low carb food.

Franchise: Red Robin.

Non-franchise: NJ diner.

Welcome and good luck!

kathy

I would love a 99 type restaurant, good price, decent food, no sprouts. Comfort types, steak tips, chicken parm, baked potato, popcorn, chicken etc. Of course it could be difficult as Florida does not know what a steak tip is.

Red Robin sounds good as well.

A good variety with plates between $15-25. Hate paying $40-50 or more per plate.

I’ll second that request. I’ve been on a low carb diet for a little over 3 years and there aren’t a lot of low carb dining-out options. Whether medically necessary or not, I would think a lot of retirees should be cutting back on their carbs.

A sports bar/restaurant is needed

Crab house with simple seafood without all the sauces and crust. Steamed blue crabs, steamed peal and eat shrimp, raw oysters, raw and steamed clams, lobster. Not fancy.

Bolay, ate at one in Gainesville, fantastic healthy. Like Chipotle but healthy. Check it out.

I live up north, near county 42 and we could use a new restaurant. A Cody's was built and opened a few years ago and was very popular but the pandemic shut them down and we hear they are not reopening. Large, free standing building with parking and an outdoor eating area where they had live music. Or a fast food restaurant with a drive through would be appreciated up here, we currently drive or cart down to Culver's and I think a Culver's would do very well up here. The existing restaurants are O'brady's (sports bar/restaurant), Sammy Joe's (small space but good Italian) and Subway. Please consider this location. There is still land available to build your own building or take over Cody's.

Another Metro Diner located somewhere on 466A or 44.

I would love to see someone buy the Cousins Maine Lobster franchise and bring the Lobster truck back. It was always busy.

German. We have Italian, Mexican, sea food, Chinese, steak houses, hamburgers and barbecue. But no German.....where to go for Octoberfest!!!

Greek Diner and a NY style deli

I second that thought and as someone else wrote NJ style diner but I guess that one is covered by "Green Diner."

An upscale establishment like J Alexanders.

We have a lot of the usual suspects for restaurants. As a result, I don't thing we need another burger, ribs, extra fries, pasta place. I would prefer a menu that provides a variety of healthy tasty plates as well as more decadent choices with an interesting selection of beers and wines.

Given the variety of responses here, good luck in making a decision!

A good Tapas restaurant, and a good South American (Peru, Ecuador, Columbia) restaurant.

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Portillo's

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Calabash all you can eat buffet

ANYTHING but anouther fast food joint!

Would love a NY style deli as long as they knew how to make good pastrami and corned beef and refused to allow mayo in the place.

Please no boars head meats.

Where is Harold when we need him?

How about seafood? We are in Florida

Steamed peel and eat shrimp with some Old Bay and some drawn butter. OMG

We visit Myrtle Beach once a year (non-covid years) just for the calabash seafood places.

A real NJ diner. Extensive menu where you can have breakfast, meatloaf or a fish platter any time of the day. Great array of baked goods available as dessert or buy to take home. In NJ these diners flourish with large portions and busy all the time. After working a night shift a diner is always open to have breakfast or meatloaf dinner, or chicken parm. Need one between 466A and 44. That would make it available to many including the new areas being built.

I usually get paid for a survey, I do not give my opinion for free. (just like a doctor) but I would open a White Castle

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Everybody here misses food from their hometown me too. So if you can take a survey of those types for food you should have a winner. I myself miss a good old Detroit Coney Island (there is a place in Clearwater that serves Detroit Coney Island but it is so far away),white cream of broccoli soup (no cheese) like from Olgas and of course white castles.

I have to agree burgers and fries we do not need. Our desire would be meals with sauces that are not bland. A nice variety of $15-$20 dishes, premium wines and beers, small but fun appetizers and most important, great customer service.
We wish you the best with whatever you decide and will be in line when you open.

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A Texas Ice House like Willie's would be awesome!

We have been to Toojay's quite a few times. Burgers and grilled chicken are pretty good but deli meats not up to our standards.

Fries are good as well as cole slaw.

KFC south of 466a, please!

If you are dying for this "stuff" there is one on the Turnpike rest stop.

Waffle House :icon_wink::1rotfl:

I f I was going to put in a new Restaurant I would choose putting another franchise of Millers Ale House.....I think it is far and away the best quality food for the price without a doubt.

Would also love a Rita's (custard and water ice) in TV. There are some in the Tampa/Clearwater area and in Orlando. One of the things we miss from up north.

kathy