Major development lands international restaurant chain as tenant

Asian-inspired eatery Wagamama to open location in Water Street, its first restaurant in the U.S. outside of Boston and New York

By Louis Llovio
| 12:14 p.m. September 20, 2021
| 2 Free Articles Remaining!

COURTESY: Wagamama in New York City. The chain is opening in Tampa's Water Street development early next year, its first U.S. location out New York and Boston.

Tampa Bay-Lakeland

TAMPA — An international restaurant chain plans to open an eatery in its third U.S. city early next year, this one in Tampa.

Wagamama, a British chain that specializes Asian-inspired cuisine, will open in the Water Street district at the residential development located at 1050 Water Street. The chain’s other locations in the U.S. are in Boston and New York. The company has 200 locations worldwide.

The 4,200-square-foot Tampa restaurant will feature the chain’s well-known ramens, noodles, shareable dishes and craft cocktails.

Water Street's developer, Strategic Property Partners, says in a press release that the restaurant brings “another compelling dining option for the growing number of people who live and work” in the development.

As for why the chain chose Tampa for its expansion, Richard Flaherty, co-CEO of Wagamama USA, says in the release that Water Street “with its focus on community and vibrant street-level programming, was the perfect fit for our high-quality, high-energy dining experience.”

Wagamama is scheduled to open early next year just as the first phase of the development is completed. It’ll join several other restaurants also slated to move into the area, including Naked Farmer, BurgerFi and Fit Bowl Co.

Water Street is the 56-acre development just outside of downtown Tampa in a part of the city once made up of mostly parking lots. When completed, the development is expected to bring 9 million square feet of new construction that will include commercial, residential, hospitality, entertainment and retail space.

The developer, Strategic Property Partners, is a joint venture between investor and Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik and Bill Gates’ Cascade Investment LLC.

The Wagamama announcement comes a month after ReliaQuest, one of the largest cybersecurity companies in the area, said it will move into a 120,000-square-foot headquarters into the development early next year and after retailers Orangetheory Fitness, Shortwave Coffee and Chill Bros. Scoop Shop said they’d open shops at Water Street as well.