BRADENTON – The cheesesteaks were sizzling on the grills once again as the long-awaited Bradenton Boiler Room opened its doors on July 2.
Under new ownership and with a new name, the former Boiler Room Bar and Grill at 5600 Manatee Ave. W., owned by Matt Lavallee from 1984 until its closure in 2020, has reopened under the partnership of Cortez business owner Karen Bell and Cortezians Josh and Staci Wilkinson.
“This is something that the town has missed, at a time of a lot of growth, redevelopment and change we’re kind of trying to bring back something that everybody loves, a time-honored tradition,” Staci Wilkinson told The Sun on July 3. “We’re trying to honor the way that it once was and put our own little flair on it as well.”
Bell, owner of A.P. Bell Fish Co., Star Fish and co-owner of Tide Tables Restaurant in Cortez, partnered with the Wilkinsons, both of whom are Cortez residents and had been employees at her restaurants.
“I met Josh at Tide Tables almost 11 years ago and he was in the kitchen, and I was a bartender, and we worked together as friends for a year, and we fell in love and the rest is history. We’ve been married six years,” Staci said. “We’ve been under one of Karen’s umbrellas for that amount of time. Josh moved over to Star Fish the last two years, so between the two restaurants we’ve worked for her for over a decade.”
The new restaurant layout looks similar the old Boiler Room, with a few changes that include flat screen televisions and one pool table where there had once been two. The menu features cheesesteaks, seven different types of wings, sandwiches, kids’ meals and soups and salads.
The menu description of the cheesesteaks, a staple of the old Boiler Room, states: “What the Boiler Room was known for! In keeping up with that tradition we offer a cheesesteak with ribeye steak, cheese, onions and peppers all on an Amoroso roll.”
5600 Manatee Ave, – Leslie Lake | Sun
The opening of the restaurant, which had been slated for 2024, was stalled following a series of hurricane-related challenges.
“Right in the middle of trying to get this restaurant up and running, we were really hard hit by the hurricanes,” Staci said. “We live in Cortez and our house was under 4 feet of water, so obviously what we went through and what Karen went through put us behind. We’re just really excited. It’s been a year and a half in the making.”
The menu recounts the story of the restaurant opening: “After more than a year of challenges – from replacing plumbing and exhaust systems to weathering a tropical storm and two hurricanes – we’re proud to finally open our doors. This milestone wouldn’t have been possible without the relentless dedication of partners Josh and Staci Wilkinson and Karen Bell as well as the unwavering support of Matt LaVallee’s original Boiler Room fans who have followed the reopening of this iconic location.”
The Boiler Room was a large part of Josh Wilkinson’s early years.
“My husband grew up right around the corner from here and came here his entire life,” Staci said. “I’m from Orlando and never made it to the Boiler Room. The week that they announced they were closing he brought me here once to see the staple item of his childhood, so I had a steak sandwich one time and saw a big part of his childhood before they closed the doors forever and ever. But never say never.”
The Bradenton Boiler Room is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
