Columbia Restaurant
27°57′36″N 82°26′6″W / 27.96000°N 82.43500°W
Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Foodservice |
Predecessor | Saloon Columbia (1903–1905) |
Founded | 1905 |
Founder | Casimiro Hernandez, Sr.[1] |
Headquarters | Ybor City, Tampa, Florida, United States |
Number of locations | 7 |
Area served | Florida |
Key people | Richard Gonzmart, President/CEO |
Revenue | $42M (1991–last published[when?])[citation needed] |
Number of employees | 1,200[citation needed] |
Parent | 1905 Family Of Restaurants |
Website | www |
Columbia Restaurant is a restaurant in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida. It is the oldest continuously operated restaurant in Florida,[2] as well as the oldest Spanish restaurant in the United States.[3] The 15 dining rooms cover 52,000 ft seating 1,700 customers. It is the largest Spanish restaurant in the world and occupies an entire city block.[2][4] Founded in 1903 as Saloon Columbia, it was renamed in 1905 to Columbia Restaurant. The landmark has been owned by the Hernandez-Gonzmart family for five generations and serves Spanish and Cuban cuisine.[5]
In addition to the original location in Ybor City, there are Columbia restaurants in Sarasota (opened in 1959);[6] in St. Augustine (opened in 1983); on Sand Key (1989); and in Celebration, Florida (1997).[6] There are also smaller Columbia Café restaurants located at the Tampa Bay History Center (opened in 2009) and at Tampa International Airport (opened in May 2012).[6]
Wine
[edit]The original restaurant's wine list contains more than 1,000 wines with an inventory exceeding 50,000 bottles.[7][8] The restaurant features several private-label wines and liquors created to honor family members.[9] The popular house sangria is mixed tableside,[10][11] and the recipe has dozens of posts on the internet.
Activities
[edit]Music
[edit]In the early 1950s, César Gonzmart traded his career as a musician for one as a restaurateur, but after he became general manager, he regularly serenaded his guests with his violin and orchestra.[12] Until illness prevented it, he performed regularly and music has always been key to the dining experience.[13] There is still live music on weekends.[14]
Flamenco
[edit]Maria Esparza began performing flamenco dance shows at the Columbia Restaurant in 1988. She has been the show's director since 2008.[15] She says that flamenco is not only a dance, but also art. The dancers tell the story of Spain's culture through their dancing.[15] Esparza explains, "It's really hard what we do. The coordination is like no other. We work with our hands and the footwork, we're doing percussion with our footwork."[15] There are dinner shows Tuesday through Saturday.[16][14]
Community Harvest
[edit]Beginning in 1997, the Columbia Restaurant has held a monthly Community Harvest campaign during September.[17] The chain donates 5% of all guests' lunch and dinner checks, allowing patrons to designate the charitable organizations of their choice.[18] As of 2015, the event had generated more than $1.8 million for Florida nonprofits.[17]
1905 Day
[edit]For Columbia's 75th anniversary in 1980, they held a street festival, "Back to Ybor City" with an art show, entertainment with flamenco dancing and "food prices of yesterday".[17] The restaurant celebrated "1905 Day" from 1980 to 2013. On a random September or October day, a special menu with 1905 prices was in effect from noon to 7 p.m.[19][20] Hundreds of diners lined up outside before the restaurant opened for the opportunity of a great bargain.[17] In 2014, the restaurant announced it would celebrate "1905 Day" in the future on significant anniversaries.[17] The next 1905 day may be in 2025 for their 120th anniversary.[17]
Cesar Gonzmart Memorial Golf Tournament
[edit]The annual Cesar Gonzmart Memorial Golf Tournament (CGMGT) began in 1995 by Columbia Restaurant owners Richard and Casey Gonzmart in memory of their father, who died of pancreatic cancer.[21] Proceeds from the event benefit educational programs in communities where the Columbia Restaurants are located.[22]
Columbia Restaurant, through funds raised during the 2001 CGMGT, and the Sant 'Yago Education Foundation gave $5,000 to support the American Heart Association's American Heart Heroes Week project, an initiative that provides camp experiences for children with cardiovascular disease.[23] The 2003 CGMGT raised over $55,000 for the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, the University of South Florida Athletic Association, and a donation to the USF Latino Scholarship Program.[21]
Awards and recognitions
[edit]In 2009, the Columbia Restaurant was recognized as one of the 25 iconic restaurants of the Tampa-St.Petersburg area by the St. Petersburg Times.[24] It was also listed in Nation's Restaurant News in the "Top 50 All-American icon category."[25] The 2022 Michelin Guide for Florida rated Columbia as "Recommended".[26]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Home | 1905 Family Of Restaurants". 1905 Family Website. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ a b Times Staff (2005-04-14). "State senators praise Columbia Restaurant's 100 years". St Petersburg Times Online. Archived from the original on 2005-05-31.
- ^ Florida Heritage website: Great Floridians 2000 Program-Cesar Gonzmart Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Ybor City, Tampa". Columbia Restaurant. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
- ^ Martinez, Erica (2023-03-01). "Florida's Oldest Restaurant Is Also The World's Largest Spanish Restaurant". Tasting Table. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
- ^ a b c "The Columbia Experience — View All Locations". columbiarestaurant.com. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
- ^ "Wine Spectator Online: Columbia Restaurant, Tampa Florida". Winespectator.com. WineSpectator. Archived from the original on 10 February 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Columbia's wine list: 1,056 different wines with an inventory exceeding 50,000 bottles". tripadvisor.com. Tripadvisor LLC. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ Huse, Andy. "Columbia Restaurant's Richard Gonzmart unveils his new private label wines and liquors". cltampa.com. Creative Loafing Tampa. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ None, Patti (9 July 2016). "Restaurant Review: The Columbia Restaurant". savesliveswilltravel.com. Saves Lives Will Travel. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ Hunt, Maria. "SANGRIA DE CAVA AT COLUMBIA RESTAURANT IN TAMPA". thebubblygirl.com. The Bubbly Girl. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ Martin, Wilton (19 Mar 1967). "Celebration's Values Viewed by Gonzmart". Knight Ridder. The Bradenton Herald.
- ^ Clary, Susan. "Columbia patriarch Gonzmart dead at 72". tampabay.com. Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Flamenco Dinner Show". columbiarestaurant.com. Columbia Restaurant. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- ^ a b c Hurtado, Linda (16 September 2022). "Columbia Restaurant flamenco director brings Spanish culture to audiences for more than 30 years". fox13news.com. FOX Television Stations. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ "Columbia Restaurant - Ybor City". opentable.com. OpenTable. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Reiley, Laura. "Columbia Restaurant's '1905 Day' goes the way of 5-cent coffee". tampabay.com. Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ Halstead, Larry (October 10, 2007). "Restaurant chain cooks up donations". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ "Events Calendar: Sunday, September 20, 2009" (PDF). Pinellas News. 18 September 2009. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
- ^ Keith Morelli (2012-09-16). "Columbia Restaurant rolls back prices 107 years". The Tampa Tribune. Archived from the original on 2015-10-22. Retrieved 2014-06-18.
- ^ a b Tampa Chamber of Commerce/Inside View: September/October 2003-The Cesar Gonzmart 8th Annual Memorial Golf Tournament Archived 2007-03-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Richard Gonzmart". secureonlinegiving.com. SecureOnline Giving. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ "Columbia Restaurant helps boost Heart Heroes Week". Nation's Restaurant News. 2001-10-01. Archived from the original on 2012-07-15.
- ^ Laura Reiley (2009-06-10). "These favorite Tampa Bay restaurants have been around over 25 years". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on 2009-06-13.
- ^ "Nation's Restaurant News - January 25, 2010 - (Page 3)". www.nationsrestaurantnews-digital.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
- ^ Freund, Helen (2022-06-09). "No stars for Tampa as Michelin Guide honors Florida restaurants for the first time". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
External links
[edit]- Companies based in Tampa, Florida
- Cuban-American culture in Tampa, Florida
- Cuban restaurants in the United States
- History of Tampa, Florida
- Landmarks in Tampa, Florida
- Restaurants established in 1905
- Restaurants in Tampa, Florida
- Spanish-American culture in Tampa, Florida
- Spanish restaurants in the United States
- 1905 establishments in Florida