Over the past few years, the 600 block of Central Avenue has turned into a foodie paradise. The block is already home to local favorites such as Pacific Counter, Maple Street Biscuit Company, The Lure, and Brass Bowl. Next year, burgers and beer will join the mix.

Hopdoddy Burger Bar recently submitted construction plans to the city for the buildout of a 3,672 square foot restaurant located at 670 Central Avenue, replacing the offices of Peregrine Construction Group. 

The fast-casual burger joint was founded in Austin, TX in 2010. With a focus on fresh ingredients, antibiotic and hormone-free beef ground in-house, thick shakes, and hand-cut fries, Hopdoddy built a following that has allowed them to expand into California, Colorado, Arizona, and now Florida. There are over 30 locations nationwide.

Along with the classic burger, Hopddody also offers turkey, chicken, bison, ahi-tuna and two meatless burgers, the Impossible Burger and a black beans and corn patty.

The menu is filled with around fifteen imaginative burger creations, such as El Diablo, an angus beef burger topped with Tillamook pepper jack, habañeros, serranos, caramelized onions, salsa roja, chipotle aioli, lettuce, and tomato.

As well as hand-spun milkshakes, Hopdoddy is also known for having an extensive beer menu featuring many local craft beers.

The announcement of Hopdoddy comes just a few months after City Council’s approval of the Storefront Conservation Corridor Plan, which was implemented to protect local businesses along the city’s most trafficked retail corridors.

The plan doesn’t explicitly ban chains, but instead introduced minimum and maximum store widths along Central Avenue and Beach Drive, established business assistance grants to keep small businesses in place, and defined “legacy businesses” that helped make St. Pete special. 

Although the plan may deter larger chains like McDonald’s or Burger King, you can probably expect to see more regional chains with flexible design standards, such as Hopdoddy, opening in the future. In fact, there are already a handful of them downtown, such as Bento Asian Kitchen + Sushi, Simple Greek, Pour Taproom, and Oak and Stone.

And while the Storefront Conservation Corridor Plan has good intentions, not everyone is on board. Local developers and building owners along Central Avenue fear the plan will drive up development costs, which will be passed on to the tenants in the form of higher rents. It also could potentially prevent local businesses from expanding into adjacent spaces. And while City Council is seeking to address some of the concerns, the plan has already been adopted.

We’ll have to wait and see the impact the plan has on St Pete’s most popular retail corridors, but for now at least it’s making it more difficult for the big chains to put down roots.

Hopdoddy Burger Bar is currently in permitting and expected to debut at 670 Central Avenue by early 2020.