- May 4, 2024
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Cask & Ale is a step closer to bringing a new nightlife option to downtown Sarasota, after city planners recommended the lounge be allowed to operate on Main Street.
In endorsing the application for the 99-seat upscale craft cocktail and tapas concept, staff noted owner Jeff Catherell has promised voluntary concessions to please downtown residents who may be opposed to the project. The move comes after a Feb. 18 community workshop in which five audience members voiced concerns about another bar in the downtown core.
The restaurant will serve food from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, and the use of a 4COP liquor license will apply only to the Cask & Ale — the next tenant wouldn’t be able to operate as a nightclub without going through the development process all over again. Catherell will still have to go before the Planning Board this week and the City Commission after that for approval.
Entrepreneur Jesse Biter, who owns the building that is slated to house Cask & Ale, is undertaking a $197,000 buildout for the Tampa-based concept at 1548 Main St., according to city permit records.
The staff recommendation comes about a year after Paddy Wagon Irish Pub tried opening a location two storefronts down from Cask & Ale’s space. Staff recommend denying their application, and after a group of downtown residents rallied against the proposal, the Planning Board unanimously agreed.
But staff in the May 4 report likened Cask & Ale to State Street Eating House and Duval’s, both of which were allowed to operate in the downtown core with liquor licenses.
“It should also be noted that the previous request for Paddy Wagon, in addition to a complete lack of food sales, also had an ownership with a documented history of police complaints at their other location (Smokin’ Joe’s),” wrote Senior Planner Courtney Mendez in the report.
At its May 11 meeting, the Planning Board will also consider developer Jim Bridges’ plans for a 156-unit condominium and mixed-use project on the North Trail skirting Whitaker Bayou. Click here for more information about the project.
