Riding a wave of growth, the owners behind the popular retail surf shop and specialty coffee bar Grove Surf + Coffee in St. Pete Beach are expanding into Indian Rocks Beach with an entirely new concept.

Unlike its sister shop, which only serves coffee, pastries, and baked goods, the new Grove Surf Cafe will be equipped with a full commercial kitchen, offering a full food and drink menu when it opens this Wednesday at 1309 Gulf Boulevard on Indian Rocks Beach.

The space previously housed Salt Public House and shares the same building with the Nekton Surf Shop.

"Indian Rocks Beach is our home. We always said if we were going to expand, we would do it here," founder Lindsey Gottschling said to St. Pete Rising.

Gottschling and her husband Peter first dove into the beachy retail and coffee business in 2020, opening Grove Surf + Coffee at 7370 Gulf Boulevard on St. Pete Beach. They inked the lease for the new Indian Rocks Beach space in August 2023. 

"At St. Pete Beach, we are limited on what food we can serve. With the new location, we will be able to offer a larger food menu and make 100% of our pastries in-house for both locations," said Lindsey. 

Grove Surf Cafe’s elevated food menu will contain a selection of sandwiches, bowls, toasts, wraps, and salads.

Lindsey is expecting the whipped ricotta toast to be a hit with customers. It will be served on local sourdough bread with honey, pistachios, and brown butter crumbs.

For something a little more hearty, the hash brown bowl will be filled with scrambled eggs, bacon or avocado, tomato, pickled red onion, and sourdough toast on the side.

On the lighter side, the avocado ranch salad consists of mixed greens, avocado ranch dressing, carrots, red onion, feta, pepitas, avocado, and tortilla chips.

"We want people to be able to enjoy their food at the beach," Lindsey said, explaining how the site is directly across from a beach access point. 

Grove Surf Cafe’s coffee selection, which is provided by Bandit Coffee Co., will be identical to Grove Surf + Coffee with lattes flavored with toasted coconut, honey cinnamon, salted caramel, mocha, and orange vanilla syrups. 

Chai and matcha lattes are also available.

Additionally, the Gottschlings have received a beer and wine license at Grove Surf Cafe.

The original St. Pete Beach shop has a wide array of surf and beachwear items and apparel. Grove Surf Cafe will focus on food and coffee, however there will also be a small retail section.

The Gottschlings first explored the retail and coffee business several years ago. 

"My husband previously worked as a sales representative in the surf industry, and I had always wanted to have a retail store," said Lindsey, who holds a background in event planning. 

"Over time, however, the coffee shop took off much more than the retail side of the business," she said. 

For now, Grove Surf Cafe will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday through Sunday. The owners may extend the operating hours in the future. 

Follow Grove Surf Cafe on Instagram for the latest store news and menu offerings.