The St. Petersburg bar and restaurant Dead Bob\u2019s (6717 Central Ave.) will relocate to a larger space by the end of the month, or early November.<\/p>\n
The new space, at 6475 Central, was once home to the long-lived Kay\u2019s Family Restaurant, which permanently closed in 2024.<\/p>\n
After nearly 30 years, Kay\u2019s owners, Gzim and Zafi Xheka, decided to leave the industry to spend more time with their families, according to a message posted on the restaurant\u2019s Facebook page.<\/p>\n
Dead Bob\u2019s co-owner Ben Scherlis was friends with the Xheka family and knew that they had been wanting to close the business.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe sat down and worked out a deal on a napkin and sent it over to the attorneys to have them draw it up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Scherlis and his business partner Bill Hepscher acquired the property in 2024 through their company, Florida Rental Properties Lake Pasadena LLC, for $1.6 million.<\/p>\n
The building, approximately 2,000 square feet, offers triple the amount of kitchen space and double the amount of seating. Additionally, the property has its own parking lot (unlike Dead Bob\u2019s current location), Scherlis said.<\/p>\n
He plans to host events and gatherings at the location \u2014 including live music during the weekends.<\/p>\n
The owners originally intended to open the new Dead Bob\u2019s in January. However, the 2024 hurricane season and construction issues delayed the process.<\/p>\n
In 2014, Scherlis co-founded Dead Bob\u2019s with Mike Anderson, the owner of multiple bars and restaurants in the St. Petersburg area. Before Anderson passed away in 2021, Scherlis bought him out of the business.<\/p>\n
Anderson was the one who came up with the name Dead Bob\u2019s, Scherlis said. It is a tribute to an eccentric friend the former owner made during a Miami vacation.<\/p>\n
Scherlis and Hepscher would open a second location, Dead Bob\u2019s Too, in Tampa right before the COVID-19 pandemic began.<\/p>\n
Choosing the new St. Petersburg property was an easy decision, Scherlis explained.<\/p>\n
Both the Tampa location and the former Kay\u2019s building were once Chicken Unlimited restaurants in the 1970s, and so have similar layouts. After seeing the space, Scherlis was able to quickly create a plan for the renovations.<\/p>\n
A grand opening celebration will be held later this year, or early in 2026.<\/p>\n