Manatee County adds 63 new restaurants in 2015; ranks 16th in Florida

MANATEE -- Of the 4,200 new restaurants in Florida in 2015, Manatee County can claim 63 of them. Manatee fell in 16th place just behind Sarasota County, which had 73 new restaurants in 2015.

Though Manatee and Sarasota counties suffered losses in the restaurant industry when establishments closed, the general trajectory has been up over the last few years, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

In 2012, Manatee County had 42 new restaurants and in 2013, the number almost doubled. The best year for new restaurants in Manatee County since 2012, the last full year available, was 2014 with 90 new establishments. Sarasota saw almost identical patterns in each year between 2012 and 2015.

A mix of an increasing population, a growing tourism market and ripe business opportunities brought many of the 63 restaurants into Manatee County in 2015. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Manatee County's population grew by more than 20,000 people between 2009 and 2014. Manatee County's tourism tax, commonly known as the bed tax, continues to increase year-over-year. The county earned in $11.3 million in 2014-15, compared to $10.6 million the previous year.

The tourism tax numbers in 2014-2015 saw the largest increase in January, and local restaurateurs are expecting the same types of traffic this year.

Tom Venema, franchisee of the downtown Jimmy John's at 1001 Third Ave. W., said foot traffic picked up in October. The central Illinois-based sandwich shop opened the downtown Bradenton location in July. Venema has also noticed an increase in tourists by way of more delivery orders to the downtown Hampton Inn and Suites and Courtyard Marriott Hotel.

"Opening up in the middle of the summer is not the best thing to do," Venema said. "The money-making season is now. We pray for that cold weather up north to bring those people down."

The most challenging parts, Venema said, are the downtown location's lack of car traffic compared to the other two Bradenton Jimmy John's restaurants he owns and attracting customers who are unfamiliar with the Jimmy John's brand.

Dennis Clarke, manager of Hurricane Grill & Wings, said he wasn't too much surprised by traffic patterns, but his location is ready to make changes based on demand from the area market. The Bradenton location, 6510 Cortez Road W., opened in June and is the first of the Florida-based chain to make an appearance in Bradenton.

"Judging by the demographics and guests coming in we're working on going a little heavier with the seafood side of things so in the next month or so we will be adjusting the menu according to what everyone around here says they want," Clarke said. Adding craft beer selections to the menu is a necessity in Bradenton, Clarke has found.

Ordering the right beer can even be a bit of a challenge for Bradenton's king of beer selection, World of Beer. General manager Amy Wilkinson said since the August open, the tavern has had to adjust by stocking more or less of certain beer varieties based on what customers ask for or what doesn't get ordered.

She's also had to adjust the tavern's music schedule to accommodate earlier crowds. Typically late-night deals are appealing to World of Beer customers, which is why Wilkinson was surprised to see the earlier rush at the Bradenton tavern, 497 Cortez Road W.

"Because of our location we have had a much earlier rush than anticipated," Wilkinson said. She and the World of Beer crew are working on refining menus and the time of day they run special deals, like World of Beer's "beerunch," a hearty weekend brunch option complete with "beermosas" and other beverages.

"Now where we're gearing ourselves is building that happy hour up and late afternoon Saturday/Sunday crowd," she said. Overall, opening a new restaurant is about being open-minded and willing to change.

"Opening is generally the same everywhere," said Wilkinson, who has 14 years of restaurant experience. "You have to listen."

She said she enjoys working for World of Beer because of how they respond to demand and change. "They don't just sell their concept; they're able to change and flow," Wilkinson said.

Ahead of Manatee and Sarasota counties in new restaurant rankings were Florida's counties with strong tourism industries and growing populations.

Dade County unsurprisingly had the most new restaurants in 2015, with 646, and Orange County, home to Florida's largest tourist attractions such as Disney World and Universal Studios came in second with 424. Broward took third with 336 and Duval landed in fourth with 272.

According to statistics from the National Restaurant Association, Florida has almost 40,000 eating and drinking establishments that employ 943,600 people.

Janelle O'Dea, business reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7095 or follow her on Twitter@jayohday.

This story was originally published December 28, 2015 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Manatee County adds 63 new restaurants in 2015; ranks 16th in Florida ."