The Hangar Restaurant and Flight Lounge, a restaurant
located at St. Petersburg's Albert Whitted Airport and owned and
operated by local restaurateur Steve Westphal, opened in April with a
big bash.
Marketed as a "café by day, bistro by night,"
the
restaurant offers
breakfast, lunch and dinner in addition to a bar menu of appetizers,
beer and wine. It is located on the second floor of the
airport and
offers a full view of the runway from the restaurant's veranda. The
eatery hosts bands from throughout the Tampa Bay region on Thursday
evenings.
"It's been a phenomenal reception," says owner
Steve Westphal. We've been very well-received by surrounding
neighborhoods who have been waiting for a long time to see something
here at the airport. Today we had some of the guys from the Coast Guard
station next door as well as a lady from the
Mahaffey Theater, a senator,
and about 300 other people such as kids from
USF a couple blocks over. But our
strongest support is from airport people -- the pilots, crews and
airport alumni. I'd like to think we've been a catalyst for other
businesses picking up since we've been here."
Westphal
also owns and operates the
Parkshore Grill,
400 Beach Seafood
and
The Pub Waterfront.
He grew up in Pinellas County and started his first business, a
restaurant and bar on Bay Pines Boulevard in 1989. "I guess I'm a bus
boy gone wild," Westphal says.
Albert Whitted Airport is
a fixture on the St. Petersburg waterfront. Named for pioneer pilot
Albert Whitted, the airport has been home to commercial airlines,
commercial blimps and private airplane enthusiasts.
Writer:
Missy
Kavanaugh Source: Steve Westphal, The Hangar Restaurant
and Flight Lounge
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