Ocean Prime, Cru Cellars parent companies to open new restaurants in Water Street
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Nov 3, 2021

The parent company of Ocean Prime will open a tavern and oyster room concept in Water Street Tampa.

Strategic Property Partners, the developer of Water Street, on Wednesday announced new four food and beverage concepts in the mixed-use district, including The Pearl from Cameron Mitchell Restaurants. SPP is controlled by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik and Cascade Investment LLC, the investment fund controlled by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

Columbus, Ohio-based Cameron Mitchell will open The Pearl on the ground level of apartment tower Heron. Heron's commercial space is also home to GreenWise Market and forthcoming pizzeria 3 Corners.

It will be the first Pearl location in Florida when it opens in 2022, SPP said.

Jennifer and Torrey Bingham, proprietors of Tampa's Cru Hospitality, will open two concepts on the street level of apartment tower Cora: Small Giant Bar & Restaurant, a neighborhood bar and grill, and Wine on Water, a "modern wine and liquor shop."

Small Giant will bring "Ohio-style pizza" to Tampa for the first time, SPP said. Jennifer Bingham said Ohio-style pizza has "thin, flake-like cracker crust and is square cut."

“We see the vision that the Water Street Tampa team has of the burgeoning neighborhood, and we’re excited to be part of the fabric of life for those that work and live here,” Jennifer Bingham said in a statement. “Small Giant will be their favorite corner bar to have a night out with friends or catch the game. If they want to relax at home with some wine or a favorite cocktail, then the bottles at Wine on Water are just moments away.”

Cru's two new concepts will open in 2022. Small Giant and Wine on Water join Chill Bros. Ice Cream and Orangetheory Fitness as commercial tenants in Cora.

Hampton Chocolate Factory, an artisan chocolate and dessert shop founded in The Hamptons, will open a flagship store in Sparkman Wharf in December.

“Every new retailer that has signed a lease at Water Street Tampa has helped us to create a more well-rounded neighborhood that we know residents, office workers and guests will look forward to experiencing time and again,” Lee Schaffler, chief portfolio officer for SPP, said in a statement.

Water Street's street-level retail is heavily populated by food and beverage concepts. Restaurant and foodservice concepts make up 60% of the tenants filling Water Street's storefronts, SPP previously told the Tampa Bay Business Journal, though that figure does not include GreenWise Market, which features a large takeout menu of pizzas, burrito bowls and more.