Food and flicks chain to make Fla. debut in Tampa

TAMPA — Studio Movie Grill, a Dallas-based chain that offers first-run movies with a food menu and full bar, will open its first Florida location in the University Mall later this year.

The company, according to a release, will take over the 57,000-square-foot space in the former Frank Theaters site at the mall, near the University of South Florida. The theater will undergo substantial renovations, the statement from commercial real estate firm CBRE says, and should be open by the end of the third quarter or early in the fourth quarter. The theater will include spacious auditoriums with fixed lounge seats, individual dining tables and a contemporary casual entry and bar area.

“Studio Movie Grill is the preeminent in-theater dining operator in the country, so we are very excited they chose University Mall as its first Florida location,” CBRE retail broker David Conn says in the release. Conn represented the landlord, Hudson Advisors, in the lease deal. “The mall's proximity to University of South Florida as well as four major hospitals makes it an ideal location for redevelopment.”'¨ '¨

Adds Studio Movie Grill Founder and CEO Brian Schultz: “We are looking forward to offering not only the best in in-theater dining for local residents but also to becoming a true partner in the community and providing our new Tampa neighborhood numerous economic opportunities.”

The University Mall theater will be Studio Movie Grill's 18th location nationwide. Others are in Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas. A second location in Chicago is forthcoming, the firm says, in addition to a 10th location in Texas.