Biggby Coffee opens Ulmerton Road café in the Gateway area
/People who work at the Carillon Park office complex in northern St. Petersburg now have a new option for their daily coffee run.
Biggby Coffee has opened its second location in Florida at 4000 Ulmerton Road, which is technically a Clearwater address but is closer to Tampa Bay than the Gulf of Mexico. The grand opening of the café took place on the morning of January 31, 2023.
Headquartered in Lansing, Michigan, Biggby Coffee is widespread throughout the Midwest but not the South. In addition to the St. Pete/Clearwater location, it has cafes in Ormond Beach, Atlanta and a handful of cities in the Carolinas. Jacksonville is also getting a Biggby Coffee, according to the company’s website.
An example of a biggby coffee cafe | bIGGBY COFFEE
Biggby’s newest Florida location will be owned and operated by franchisees Chuck and Crys Wyse. The space they’re leasing was formerly occupied by a Mexican restaurant; other tenants include a vape and cigar shop and a FedEx Office Print & Ship Center.
The Wyses cite their deep familiarity with the brand as one of the primary reasons they opted to become Biggby Coffee franchisees.
“I was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Chuck grew up in East Lansing and went to Michigan State University,” Crys says. “He got his graduate degree at the University of Michigan, and he would study at Biggby’s. They were a big deal when they first opened back in 1995.”
The Wyses are passionate about the Tampa Bay area, having been part-time residents — they own a condo in Indian Shores — for the past 12 years. Since taking the plunge with Biggby Coffee, though, they’ve sold their home in Texas and plan to be year-round Pinellas County residents.
During the grand opening on Tuesday, the Wyses plan to donate $1 from every purchase of a full-size coffee to the Pinellas Park Angel Fund, which helps lower-income families pay their bills and send their kids to educational summer camps.
Buy one, get one deals will also be in effect, and customers can get a taste of some of the café’s limited-time only menu options, such as sweet foam salted carmello, golden chai and golden tea.
“We also have cold brew and nitro on tap, which most places don’t,” says Crys, who also works as a United Airlines flight attendant. She plans to keep that job, although she has enough seniority that she’s earned the right to work as much or little as she wants, usually about eight days per month.
Chuck, meanwhile, will be involved in the venture full-time. He’s a former vice president of Covenant Logistics Group Inc., a trucking company headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
“He got tired of working for the man,” Crys says. “He wanted his own hours, to be his own boss.”
Biggby Coffee is now open Monday through Friday from 6AM to 8PM, Saturdays from 6AM to 7PM, and Sundays from 7AM to 5PM at 4000 Ulmerton Road. For more information visit their Facebook page.
