Toojays Gourmet Deli Opens In Downtown Tampa

Kathy Steele | Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Tampa's downtown is getting that New York-style, full-on deli fix. Get ready for stacks of hot pastrami and corned beef piled high between freshly baked slices of rye, challah and bagels. Or dive into latkes, blintzes, chopped chicken liver and matzo ball soup.

Toojays Gourmet Deli is opening on June 23 on the ground floor of the downtown SunTrust Financial Centre at 401 Jackson St. This is a new Tampa location and a branding shift for a national delicatessen chain, which remains a popular mainstay on restaurant row on Baystreet at International Plaza.

This also is a bit of a departure for SunTrust's management company, JLL, which previously rented to two locally operated eateries. The last restaurant closed in May.

At International Plaza Toojays' customers stop by for breakfast, lunch and dinner. At SunTrust, Toojays will serve breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday. And the chain is experimenting with a new contemporary look designed by Andy Share & Associates in Boca Raton, FL.

"We really wanted to take it to the next level," says Sharon Bragg, JLL's VP in charge of leases for the SunTrust building. "They (Toojays) basically have been doing this for 30 years. They know what they are doing. People do know them. We're excited."

Orlando-based Industrial Commercial Structures is the contractor.

Toojays was founded in 1981 by Jay Brown and Mark Jay Katzenberg, the two Jays in the brand name.

At about 4,500 square feet, the deli's size at Sun Trust will shrink a bit from the standard. There will be seating for 128 including an outdoor patio with more than 50 seats. Busy office workers on the run can take advantage of a "grab and go" section.

About 40 people will be employed at the deli. Catering will be available for office meeting, parties, seminars and other events.

Toojay representatives say this concept could be a test run for future restaurants and makeovers at existing ones.

Usually Toojays tends to seek out communities with a mix of residential and office. Downtown sites that primarily serve a business-only crowd for breakfast and lunch aren't typically on the list.

But Tampa is in the midst of an expansion of high-rise towers filling up with residents looking for the complete urban experience of entertainment, restaurants, shops, arts and culture.

"Operating on the first floor of the SunTrust Financial Centre affords us the opportunity to explore a new growth vehicle for our brand," says Neal Chianese, TooJays executive VP of operations. "We are confident that success of this location will lay the groundwork for potential future expansion into similar downtown settings."

Writer: Kathy Steele
Sources: Neal Chianese, TooJays; Sharon Bragg, JLL

Read more articles by Kathy Steele.

Kathy Steele is a freelance writer who lives in the Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa. She previously covered Tampa neighborhoods for more than 15 years as a reporter for The Tampa Tribune. She grew up in Georgia but headed north to earn a BA degree from Adelphi University in Garden City, NY. She backpacked through Europe before attending the University of Iowa's Creative Writers' Workshop for two years. She has a journalism degree from Georgia College. She likes writing, history, and movies.