It has been just over a year since Icon Central began move-ins at 855 Central Avenue in downtown St. Petersburg. The 368-unit luxury apartment community, which was developed by Miami-based Related Group, is seeing healthy lease-up with 75% of units currently occupied.

However, while Icon Central has been able to find tenants for the residential portion of the community, the 38,000 square feet of retail has sat completely vacant. And although the retail market in general has been in flux since COVID-19 hit in late March, other downtown retail spaces haven’t had as much trouble filling vacancies.

For example, in April, two new businesses were announced for the first generation retail space at Artistry Apartments. And earlier this week, St. Pete Rising announced that a Miami restaurant group is opening a new breakfast joint in the EDGE District.

Luckily, retail leasing activity has started to pick up over the past few weeks and Icon Central has finally signed their first retail tenant – BurgerFi.

BurgerFi will be occupying 2,362 square feet of space at 875 Central Avenue directly adjacent to the historic Union Trust building, which is still available for lease.

Alex Wright, Senior Director at Franklin Street and in charge of retail leasing at Icon Central, says, “We are very excited to have BurgerFi at ICON Central and look forward to announcing other tenants soon!”

BurgerFi is a fast-casual restaurant chain with over 120 locations in the United States and abroad specializing in hormone-free and antibiotic-free hamburgers, french fries, hot dogs, and custard. This will be the fifth Tampa Bay BurgerFi and the second location in Pinellas County.

The company was founded in 2011 in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida and was awarded "Best Burger Joint" in Consumer Report’s annual Chain Reaction report last year.

The menu features 11 burgers, offering and variety of beef, chicken, veggie, and Beyond burgers. The best sellers are the cheeseburger and bacon cheeseburger, both of which come with two quarter pound Angus beef patties. Another population option is The CEO, a double wagyu and brisket blend burger with homemade candied bacon-tomato jam, truffle aioli, and aged swiss cheese.

The Angus beef used by BurgerFi is free-range, humanely treated, and raised on vegetarian diets. It is never exposed to steroids, antibiotics, growth hormones, chemicals, or additives. The chicken, which is sustainably sourced from Springer Mountain Farms, was raised in a cage-free environment with no hormones or antibiotics.

For vegetarians, BurgerFi offers their gourmet spin on a veggie burger called the Vegefi, which consists of a crispy quinoa and fresh-cut veggie patty, white cheddar, lettuce, tomato, BurgerFi sauce on a vegan multigrain bun or green style (wrapped in lettuce). A Beyond burger and a vegan Beyond burger are also available.

Custard and shakes are available for dessert. Custard is offered in vanilla, chocolate, and swirl with your choice of toppings and shakes come in seven flavors -- red velvet, vanilla, chocolate, black + white, strawberry, Oreo, and coffee mocha.

BurgerFi’s environmentally friendly mindset goes beyond the food. Each of the red and charcoal chairs in the dining room are made of 111 upcycled Coca-Coca bottles. The tables are also made from recycled milk jugs. The lighting is all 100% energy efficient LED and the 10-foot fans consume 66% less energy than the traditional ceiling fan.

BurgerFi is currently being built out at 875 Central Avenue by St. Pete-based Boyd Construction Company with an anticipated opening date in December. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on the latest news and burger specials.