The Strawberry Tap aims to be more than just another restaurant in downtown Plant City. The new business plans to live by its motto, ‘This is a place where guests become friends and friends become family.’
Every town needs a Cheers, a welcoming joint that acts as a bonafide home away from home.
Brian Adatto said he hopes his upcoming restaurant, The Strawberry Tap, will act as a proverbial watering hole for Plant City
residents of all ages. Growing up in a close-knit town in New Jersey, he said he remembers spending time with his friends, family and teammates in local restaurants creating memories that will last a lifetime. After working in the restaurant business for years he is finally ready to bring his dream establishment to life right here on Reynolds Street.
“We’re going to have the best food and some really unique creations that keep people coming back,” Adatto, owner and partner of The Strawberry Tap, said. “But what we’re aiming for here is to really be family. I want you to look around and see two seventh graders on their first date in one corner and a pair of grandparents enjoying a burger in another corner. I want teams to celebrate their Little League and football championships here. I want this to be where coworkers come after work and where people just really feel like they’re home.”
Adatto doesn’t simply want to preach camaraderie and acceptance, he’s prepared to put his money where his mouth is. The walls of The Strawberry Tap are currently bare, which Adatto intentionally did as a way to immerse his business in Plant City history.
The Strawberry Tap is waiting for its patrons. He’s asking anyone to bring in a framed photo with their contact information on the back of it that shares a special moment in their life. He hopes to hang them on the wall and, in return, customers will receive a discount off their meal.
“People can hopefully come in and sit at a table with their kids, point at a picture on the wall and say, ‘Look there’s your grandma at the Strawberry Festival in 1965,’” Adatto said. “I want to decorate with the memories of this town. Our motto is, ‘This is a place where guests become friends and friends become family.’ We don’t have customers here. We want to decorate our walls with the photos of our family.”
Opening downtown was an “obvious option” and Adatto said he was excited to get to work alongside such reputable businesses. The key, he said, was to make sure The Strawberry Tap stood out, that the whole town would know it was here.
He started by fixing the bullet hole in the window. Then he made sure “The Strawberry Tap” could be seen easily on the rugged yellow brick by painting a bright sign over his awning. Soon his logo was etched onto the new window and tables and chairs paraded into the building, beckoning customers to find their “special spot” in the restaurant.
After months of preparation, he is nearly ready to throw open his doors and meet his soon-to-be regulars. If all goes well he will have a private cocktail reception later this week and have the official grand opening shortly after.
His menu will constantly evolve and Adatto said The Strawberry Tap will soon be known for its unique food and drink options. It will feature never-ending recipes and put a spotlight one special creations, like a burger of the month or some of its more inventive desserts. The cocktails are unlike anything he said has been seen in the area, like smoked cocktails or fresh starfruit drinks.
He wants the pub to be offering mixtures not even seen in Ybor or Tampa, to offer something you can only find in Plant City. The menu will have original ideas like deep-fried beer and incorporate inventive recipes into more traditional meals like the addition of bourbon croutons.
“Our restaurant has to be a lot of fun,” Adatto said. “No one has ever said, ‘Remember that boring place? Let’s go back.’”
Compacting his abundance of ideas is currently his biggest challenge. In a perfect world, he said, he hopes to soon partner with some of the other “amazing restaurants and businesses” downtown to do block parties, coordinate with local schools where kids with an ‘A’ will receive a free dessert and help revitalize downtown’s nightlife.
He’s heard rumors about the dwindling crowds after 5 p.m. in downtown but is optimistic that will soon change. He said if all the doors are shut downtown it makes sense no one would linger. Now, he said people will have a fun and hospitable place to go.
“We’ve been accepted with open arms,” Adatto said. “I think they realize I’m trying to embrace this town. It may not be my hometown, but it’s somebody's. We’re going to do it right.”
