Wawa's owners eye former site of Giordano's restaurant

Giordano's on Dale Mabry Highway once bustled with servers bringing out spaghetti, lasagna and the restaurant's signature deep-dish Chicago-style pizza to hungry customers.

The Italian restaurant opened in 2007 as part of a Tampa Bay expansion that included Giordano's in Port Richey and Brandon. But last year, the Chicago-based owners filed for reorganization in U.S. Bankruptcy Court and the business' assets ultimately were sold to an investor group for about $61 million.

The Tampa Bay area restaurants closed last year.

Now local developers who recently bought the Dale Mabry restaurant and two parking lots plan to replace it with a Wawa convenience store and 16-pump gas station. Owners of BW Dale Mabry and Gray Limited Liability Corp., also known as Brightwork Real Estate, have filed a rezoning application that is scheduled for a public hearing before the Tampa City Council on April 12.

The restaurant is at 401 N. Dale Mabry Hwy. while the parking lots are at 3712 W. Carmen St. and 3715 W. Gray St.

The Hops Bar & Grill, at 327 N. Dale Mabry Hwy. across from Giordano's, also was bought but is not included in the proposed Wawa site.

The company, based in Wawa, Pa., offers more than the usual gas station fare. Its website boasts of freshly brewed coffees, freshly made hoagies, baked breads, ice cream, salads-to-go and fresh fruit. There are more than 570 locations — about 260 of them also sell gasoline — in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and Delaware.

The company, making its first venture into Florida, recently broke ground on a site in Orlando near SeaWorld.

If approved, the approximately 6,300 square-foot restaurant on Dale Mabry would be torn down. The replacement store and gas station would be about 5,500 square feet, city records show.

Traffic would turn right from Dale Mabry into the site and exit right again when leaving.

The city's land-use staff, however, objects to proposed entrances and exits on Carmen and Gray streets. Area residents also worry about an increase in traffic. "That's certainly a legitimate worry if you live right in that area," said Kathy Echeverria, president of the Oakford Park Neighborhood Association.

One concern appears to be settled for residents. Developers have agreed to install the gas pumps facing Dale Mabry rather than elsewhere on the site, Echeverria said.

Edna Patrick, president of the North Bon Air Neighborhood Association, said she likes the varied menu Wawa offers and its proposed outdoor garden area. "I feel like these people are going to do the right thing," she said.