California pizza chain to make Sarasota debut

The Kolter Group and retail leasing firm Casto Southeast Realty Services have landed MidiCi, a Neapolitan-themed pizza restaurant, to be the first tenant in The Mark, a downtown Sarasota mixed-use project under construction.

The California-based eatery will occupy 3,900 square feet in the planned 12-story Kolter project, which will contain 157 residences and 50,000 square feet of retail and office space.

“MidiCi is pretty special,” says Brett Hutchens, Casto Southeast’s president and managing partner. “They have a cuisine that isn’t being served in this market.”

The 150-seat restaurant will debut in the $125 million Mark tower late next year, Hutchens says. In all, roughly 40% of the 38,000 square feet of the project’s retail space will be dedicated to food and restaurants, he adds.

“We’re planning at The Mark to create a point of differentiation downtown, and we certainly believe MidiCi does that,” Hutchens says.

MidiCi currently operates Neapolitan restaurants in St. Petersburg, in the Tyrone Square Mall, and in Estero, in Lee County.