Restaurant, coffee shop coming to retail space at Palmetto Marriott

Crews broke ground Tuesday on a retail component adjacent to the Palmetto Marriott Resort & Spa. When complete, the space built on an outparcel of the hotel will total about 8,200 square feet, according to Zachary Ellis, associate with LQ Commercial, which is handling leasing.

Four businesses have signed on already as tenants, according to Ellis: Burger Monger, Foxtail Coffee, Noire Nail Bar and White Diamond Shipping.

• Burger Monger has three restaurants in the Tampa Bay area, where it serves handcrafted burgers, sandwiches and shakes: St. Pete, Wesley Chapel and Safety Harbor.
• Foxtail Coffee, a coffee shop founded in Winter Park in 2016 and roasts its beans in Orlando, is now in seven states: Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Michigan, Virginia, North Carolina and Arizona. It has locations around the region from St. Pete to UTC to Wellen Park to Estero.
• Noire Nail Bar is a nail salon that also offers beauty services like waxing and facials. It is based in Venice.
• White Diamond Shipping is a local company Ellis says will provide shipping services and "operate as a business hub that provides notary, fingerprinting and more [services] to local businesses."

In all, five tenants will occupy the first phase of the retail space near the Palmetto Marriott, according to Ellis. The project has generated “interest from a handful of users for the last remaining available space,” Ellis says in an email.

A second phase will provide additional retail, Ellis says, noting timing has yet to be determined.

The second phase will be based around the “Yard," an outdoor entertainment venue near the hotel sponsored by Florida Central Credit Union and is permitted for up to 5,000 people, according to Paul Rutledge, senior broker associate for LQ Commercial.

"The small strip center is the first part" of what Rutledge says are "intriguing" plans to connect the hotel with the waterfront, public park and rest of Palmetto. "It's just the beginning."

Palmetto is undergoing a growth spurt, according to Rutledge, who likens the community to Parrish or Lakewood Ranch. "I don't know how long it will take," he says, "but it’s going to get there."

In the second phase of commercial development at the Marriott site, "there’s probably a good 20,000 to 30,000 square feet" in store, which could include office space and a tiered design, Rutledge says in a phone interview.

Plans call for two major restaurants as well as "experiential tenants" that offer activities like bowling or axe-throwing in the second phase of retail, Rutledge says.

Photo by Michelle Origer

Parrish-based Fin Construction Group is the builder of the retail component's first phase at the Palmetto Marriott, which is the landlord.

Tenants will begin moving in by late 2026 or early 2027, according to Ellis.

The development of retail comes less than two years after the hotel’s completion. The Palmetto Marriott Resort & Spa opened in summer 2024.