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Tag: Peach’s Restaurant

Sarasota brunch restaurant to take place of local favorite

Sarasota brunch restaurant to take place of local favorite

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Business, Restaurants | Bars.

HOLMES BEACH – The community said goodbye last week to Peach’s Restaurant, a long-time Anna Maria Island staple for breakfast and lunch on East Bay Drive.

The restaurant’s doors officially closed at the end of service on Sunday after landlord Benderson Development opted to not renew the lease on the space in the Anna Maria Island Center in May as well as the lease on the Peach’s location in Ellenton.

The announcement came on Peach’s social media pages on May 21 with management at the Holmes Beach location stating that Benderson said they were moving in a different direction for the shopping plaza.

That direction is The Toasted Mango Café, a breakfast and lunch restaurant similar to Peach’s business model, with two locations in Sarasota and Siesta Key. While Benderson has not responded to requests for comment, the news of the new tenant was confirmed when a woman who said she was an owner of The Toasted Mango approached diners and servers at Peach’s in Holmes Beach on June 5. Customers flocked to social media to state that she offered diners coupons to use when The Toasted Mango opens in Holmes Beach and offered to recruit servers.

“Well, that guarantees that Toasted Mango will never get my business,” Angela Pollock said on the Peach’s Holmes Beach Facebook page.

“I was quite turned off that a lady stating she was an owner of Toasted Mango in Sarasota was in my favorite restaurant attempting to hand out business cards or coupons to all the guests as well as asking the servers if they wanted to stay in this location and work for her,” Jenna Baird said. “Myself and several other guests were all just stunned that she would come into a fellow business – same breakfast and lunch – and do this, especially given the unfortunate circumstances of Peach’s being pushed out of the center by Benderson. Peach’s has been here in our communities far longer than The Toasted Mango and this is a terrible way for her to ‘attempt to promote’ taking over the location.”

“We don’t understand,” Peach’s Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Hester said. “What we were told was that they were moving in a different direction, however, putting the exact same type of restaurant in our place doesn’t seem to be a different direction. It is sad finding out who was coming in behind us this way.”

Peach’s held a thank you party for the community last Friday.

Though two locations are now closed, Peach’s still has four locations with the closest to Holmes Beach located at 5240 State Road 64 E. in Bradenton.

The company’s management said they’re still looking for a new location for the Holmes Beach restaurant, which opened in 2001, and are meanwhile committed to moving staff from the two closed restaurants to one of the four open locations.

No opening date has been given for The Toasted Mango Holmes Beach location. Peach’s lease in the space officially ends on June 30.

Local restaurant to close its doors

Local restaurant to close its doors

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Business, Restaurants | Bars.

HOLMES BEACH – A local favorite for more than two decades, Peach’s Restaurant in the Anna Maria Island Shopping Center will close its doors for good on Sunday, June 16.

The Father’s Day closure was announced on social media on May 22 along with the news that a second Peach’s location in Ellenton would also be closing its doors on the same day. The shopping plazas where both restaurants are located are owned by Benderson Development.

Management for the local restaurant chain said that the decision to shutter both locations was made by Benderson, which refused to renew leases for the two locations, citing their plans to move in a different direction with both plazas. Representatives for Peach’s said that the leases both expire on June 30. They added that the closure of both locations affects approximately 40 employees who will be relocated to one of the chain’s six other area restaurants, if possible.

The Holmes Beach Peach’s has been open since 2001 with the Ellenton location opening in 2002.

While the restaurant’s management said they’re actively looking for new locations, nothing has been decided yet.

Representatives for Benderson did not return calls for comment by press time.

Fans of the Holmes Beach restaurant took to social media to express their dismay at the unexpected closure.

“Oh, we are heartbroken to hear this news,” Angie Blunt said, adding that Peach’s is her family’s favorite restaurant on Anna Maria Island and that the staff is like an extended family.

Resident and local activist Laurel Nevans offered to get signatures for a petition or help arrange a protest if the restaurant’s management thought it would help them hold on to the Holmes Beach space. The restaurant’s management replied that while they appreciated the help, they were told a new lease had already been signed for the space by an undisclosed tenant.

“We never imagined it wouldn’t be renewed,” they said of the lease with Benderson.

“This is so sad,” Island visitor Lisa Roberts said. “Visiting Peach’s for breakfast on the first and last morning of our holiday has been a family tradition every time we have visited Anna Maria Island/Holmes Beach from the U.K. over the last 20 years. We would also treat ourselves to lunch at Peach’s Ellenton on our shopping trip. So sad for you all. I do hope you find new locations. We return in April and hope to see you.”

“Have been visiting the Island for over 30 years and Peach’s is always a ‘must do’ on our list,” Debby Reed Howard said. “So very sorry to lose this landmark on AMI.”

“We are sad that we have to close, and we will miss making memories with everyone,” the restaurant’s management said. “AMI is a very special and unique Island, and we are so grateful to have been a part of it!”

The remaining Peach’s locations are at 3201 Manatee Ave. W. in Bradenton, 7315 52nd Place E. in Bradenton, 4292 Bee Ridge Road in Sarasota, 5240 State Road 64 in Bradenton, 6386 N. Lockwood Ridge Road in Sarasota and 1230 Jacaranda Blvd. in Venice.