Channel district restaurant Cena closes for good
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Oct 15, 2024

Cena, a contemporary Italian restaurant in downtown Tampa's Channel district, has permanently closed.

Ken Stoltenberg, a partner in the restaurant, confirmed the closure to the Tampa Bay Business Journal on Tuesday. Cena had occupied a storefront in the courtyard at Grand Central at Kennedy overlooking Madison Street Park for 13 years.

Cena's sister restaurant, a pizzeria named Bread and Butta Pizza Bar that opened in 2023 in an adjacent storefront, has also closed. Stoltenberg said the restaurants share a single kitchen.

"The past year has been a challenging environment," Stoltenberg said. "This summer was the worst summer we’d ever had. It's a combination of the general economy, Cena is a destination — and it’s a luxury."

The closure, Stoltenberg said, was the result of several factors beyond the economy. Two weeks ago, Chef Michael Buttacavoli told the restaurant's ownership group that he was leaving to pursue a new opportunity.

"He was a partner in the restaurant, but if it’s not making money, there’s none to distribute," Stoltenberg said. "And with the two hurricanes — I would say 20% of our customers lived on Davis Islands, and I don’t think any of those folks are going to be out to eat all that much because it’s basically uninhabitable."

Davis Islands, a wealthy neighborhood a short drive from the Channel district, was devastated by Hurricane Helene's storm surge on Sept. 26. Many Davis Islands residents were displaced from their homes during recovery and reconstruction efforts.

The retail condos in Grand Central were sold to a Maryland investor in 2022. Stoltenberg, the original developer of Grand Central at Kennedy, said he thinks there will be plenty of demand for Cena's real estate. The other concepts in the courtyard, including Pour House, City Dog Cantina and Ginger Beard Coffee, have been there for years. Maloney's Irish Pub, which is in Grand Central but doesn't overlook the courtyard, has been in the Channel district for 10 years.

"Cena had a very good run for over 13 years," Stoltenberg said, "and sometimes concepts have a shelf life to them. And maybe that was somewhat the case here, but not having Chef was probably the final straw there."