Doing Business: Wolves Head Pizza & Wings

EAST COUNTY — At 3 p.m. on a Friday —  typically a slow time for restaurants before the start of the dinner rush — various “regulars” sit at the bar at a new Lakewood Ranch restaurant owned by a familiar face.

John Breiner, former owner of Ed’s Tavern, already has a steady flow of weekly patrons who enjoy the “brew house-meets-Americana” vibe of his newest venture, Wolves Head Pizza & Wings.

The red-walled restaurant, nestled in the corner of Lane Plaza Too on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, offers 19 beers on tap and eventually will offer daily specials and host events.

Customers come for the salad, wings and the signature pizza made from restaurant General Manager Rob Hallam’s secret recipe.

Breiner purchased the property, formerly occupied by Ferraros Italian Cuisine, in February, and painted the walls, replaced the floors, added eight flat-screen televisions and extended the bar. The restaurant opened April 7.

Breiner said he has inherited patrons from both Ferraro’s and Ed’s Tavern’s already.

“The community has taken to us,” Breiner said, in a thick New Jersey accent. “They know what we can do.”

Wolves Head’s bar is its focal point, with a wall of televisions that broadcast a range of sporting events. It serves as a hub for patrons, whether friends or strangers, to connect.

“(It) is like the show ‘Cheers’ and I want to bring that here,” Breiner said. “By having those TVs show sports, it brings together 21- and 81-year-olds, who share a common bond.”

Breiner said Wolves Head also showcases pieces of Breiner’s childhood and the principles on which he grew up.

A reminder from his uncle Ed sits tucked in the corner of Wolves Head. It’s a telephone booth he gave Breiner as a bar-warming present in 2004, when he opened his first Ed’s Tavern in Charlotte, N.C.

Family photographs, an old Kodak camera and other keepsakes decorate the glass walls of the antique, greeting customers as they enter the restaurant.

As a child, Breiner spent his evenings and ate his dinners on booths at the original Ed’s Tavern in New Jersey, which, unknowingly to Breiner, shaped his career and love for the restaurant industry, he said.

Although Breiner’s experience at Ed’s launched his career as a restaurant owner, the father of two hopes the earlier closing hours of switching from a tavern to a restaurant with a bar will allow for more time with his children, Jason and Derrick.

“Bar years are like dog years,” Breiner said, laughing. “I’m 47, but I’m probably going on 147. You really have to love the restaurant and bar businesses to do this, and I do.”

ABOUT THE OWNER
John Breiner grew up in the restaurant industry.

He owned two Ed’s Tavern restaurants — one family-owned establishment that dates back to the 1930s, in Charlotte, N.C., and another, which he opened on Lakewood Ranch Main Street in early 2009.
He sold the business in Lakewood Ranch in February.

Before owning restaurants, Breiner worked in construction for more than 20 years.

Wolves Head Pizza & Wings
Owner: John Breiner
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Friday; and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday;
Location: 1837 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Bradenton, in Lane Plaza Too.
Services: Wolves Head sells pizza, pasta, salads and sandwiches. It also features 19 beers on tap.
Website: wolvesheadpizza.com.

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected].