Group plans $1.2M restaurant for Siesta Key

SARASOTA — South Siesta Key has developed its own identity apart from the Village or the rest of the island over the years, and it will soon have its own Daiquiri Deck.

The restaurant brand aims to open a new location at the top of a three-story building on Stickney Point Road by Christmas, says co-owner Troy Syprett, according to the Sarasota Observer, sister paper of the Business Observer. Syprett, along with co-owners Russell Matthes and Matt Grover, also operate restaurants in the Village, St. Armands Circle and Venice.

According to permits filed with Sarasota County this week, the group plans to spend $1.2 million on a new building that will sit on the same property as CB's Island Outfitters, which used to be a gas station. The new structure will sit on the west side of CB's, which will retain ownership of the entire parcel.

“The design maximizes the parking on the site by not increasing the ground level building footprint,” says architect Mark Smith, who designed the new building. “It also maximizes the view by building to the maximum building height allowed.”

A coffee shop similar to Perq in Southside Village will occupy the bottom floor of the new building, Syprett says. The group will use the second story as storage, and patrons will be able to enjoy views of the Intracoastal Waterway and the Gulf of Mexico from the restaurant.

“Siesta Key is kind of two markets,” Syprett says. “You've got a lot of short-term accommodations down there, and because of traffic, it's just difficult to get up to the Village.”

The new restaurant will have ample parking, which is a premium on the island, Syprett says. He and his partners think the brand will bring more foot traffic to the south end of the Key for nearby restaurants and retail. “I think in the long run we'll have a positive impact,” Syprett says.