A new restaurant focusing on craft cocktails is sprouting up in downtown Plant City in the space formerly occupied by Big Dog’s Patio at 103 Palmer Street and its going to get residents hungry for its grand opening.
Brandon Snyder, owner of Root’s Tap Room & Wine Bar, leased the 3,600 square-foot space, including the old real estate office next door at 105 Palmer Street, and is planning to liven up downtown with Propagation Whiskey Bar and Kitchen. The word propagation means the breeding of specimens of a plant or promoting an idea. “That’s what we’re doing, it’s a play on Roots,” said Snyder, who’s been interested in the prime location for more than a year.
“I’ve said from the beginning, when I opened Root’s, that this spot is the heartbeat of downtown, if you change this you change everything,” said Snyder. “This is the center for every event that goes on in downtown, from car shows to food truck rallies and there’s plentiful parking right across the street.”
Snyder is gutting the space to create his gastronomic vision, installing a commercial kitchen (in the old real estate office), removing ceiling tiles to reveal exposed steel beams, redoing electrical and plumbing and basically giving the entire space a refresh with a new long bar, couches and high tops, removing all remnants of Big Dog’s Patio. In the outdoor space he plans to build a new stage, install sunshades and add picnic tables and string lights. “We want the outside space to complement the events that happen downtown,” he said. “Come in, listen to a live band and have a good Moscow Mule.”
The tentative menu will include elevated bar food, including delicious burgers, chicken tenders, salads and a couple of vegan options, which he hopes will be available to hungry diners during lunch hours.
At Propagation Whiskey Bar and Kitchen, patrons will be able to enjoy good food, live music and a full bar in downtown after 4 p.m.
Snyder, who has 18 years of experience in the restaurant industry, is hoping Propagation Whiskey Bar and Kitchen will open in October. “My goal is to have an amazing Halloween party here,” he said. “We’ll turn the lights down and the music up.”