Doggie Ice Cream Truck, Workforce Housing, Marcella Hazan Documentary: Restaurant News

SARASOTA-BRADENTON, FL — Here's the latest restaurant and bar news in Sarasota and Manatee counties:

New Ice Cream Truck Caters to Dogs

JB’s Doggie Delight, a new food truck in Sarasota, offers ice cream and cookies just for dogs. The treats can also be enjoyed by the pups’ human companions.

The founder, Jackie Brady, is originally from Massachusetts, where she owned an indoor dog park, according to Sarasota Magazine. She discovered the Sarasota area when visiting her son on Siesta Key.

She closed her dog park for half a year during the pandemic and came up with the idea for JB’s Doggie Delight while having a beer at a dog-friendly restaurant in the region. She now has two trucks – one in Sarasota, the other in Massachusetts.

Sushi, Hibachi Restaurant Opens Near Future Home of Target

Sapporo Sushi Hibachi recently opened in the Beachway Plaza, on the northeast side of the intersection of Manatee Avenue and 75th Street West, where a new Target is being built.

The shopping center is currently being anchored by Publix and was previously home to a Kmart, the Bradenton Herald reported.

The husband-and-wife team behind Sapporo, Season and David Chen, were previously in the restaurant business in Brooklyn for about 15 years before moving to Bradenton.

Restaurant Group in Venice Will Build Affordable Housing for Workers

Venice Pier Group, which owns Sharky’s on the Pier, Fins at Sharky’s, Snook Haven and Siesta Eats, is building affordable housing for its seasonal workers.

The restaurant group is building a 7,000-square-foot apartment complex. The workforce housing project will consist of four units and a total of 16 beds, WFLA reported.

“The idea is that every employee that we have produces a certain amount of business. So, it is actually to our benefit to have those people here rather than closing a station, reducing our seating, reducing our hours and things like that,” said owner Michale Pachota. “They actually provide a benefit to us, and we charge them about half of what it costs to house them elsewhere, so it works out good for both sides.”

Saladworks Opening Ghost Kitchen in Bradenton

A create-your-own salad franchise, Saladworks, is opening 20 new ghost kitchens at WingHouse Bar & Grill locations throughout Florida, including one in West Bradenton.

The ghost kitchens are a partnership between Saladworks’ parent company, WOWorks, and Combo Kitchen, which has an agreement with WingHouse, and should be open by Friday, according to a news release.

"We are excited to expand our brand into Central Florida through our partnership with Combo Kitchen," said Brian Farris, WOWorks’ chief development officer. "Normally, expanding into an entirely new market is costly for potential franchisees. This partnership allows us to gain new customers without needing to invest upfront in a brick-and-mortar store. We also gain additional benefits, such as raising Saladworks' brand awareness in new regions and giving our guests more points of delivery and pickup."

Documentary About Longboat Key Cookbook Author in the Works

A New York City filmmaker is working on a documentary about Italian cookbook author and longtime Longboat Key restaurant Marcella Hazan, according to Sarasota Magazine.

Peter Miller is raising funds through Kickstarter for his project and hopes to bring in another $40,000 to complete filming.

Originally from Italy, she moved to Longboat Key with her husband in 1999. She died in 2013.