{"id":319662,"date":"2026-06-25T18:12:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T18:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/319662\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T18:12:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T18:12:11","slug":"forbici-serves-nearly-600-meals-on-opening-night-in-st-pete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/319662\/","title":{"rendered":"Forbici serves nearly 600 meals on opening night in St. Pete"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nearly 600 meals were served on opening night at Forbici\u2019s new Sundial location<\/a> as Next Level Brands expanded the Italian restaurant<\/a> beyond its original Hyde Park Village location.<\/p>\n

The restaurant served 575 meals Wednesday night, drew about 200 walk-in diners and filled its 100-seat bar throughout the evening, according to founder and CEO Jeff Gigante<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Reservations for the second night were stronger than opening day, he said, even though late June is typically one of the slower periods for Tampa Bay restaurants.<\/p>\n

\"ExteriorForbici opened at Sundial in downtown St. Petersburg<\/a>, serving nearly 600 meals on its first night.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the brand that we\u2019re looking to grow,\u201d Gigante said. \u201cWe want the number two to perform to the metrics that number one is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gigante said a third Forbici is planned near Wiregrass in Wesley Chapel within the next year to year and a half. If the first three restaurants perform to expectations, he said, the company believes the concept could ultimately expand to between 20 and 40 locations across the Southeast.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe there can be anywhere between 20 and 40 of these concepts throughout the Southeast United States,\u201d Gigante said.<\/p>\n

The St. Petersburg restaurant is the second Forbici<\/a> location after the original opened in Tampa\u2019s Hyde Park Village and the largest restaurant Gigante has built.<\/p>\n

The 12,300-square-foot restaurant occupies the former Sea Salt space at Sundial, with seating for nearly 400 guests, private dining space, live music and indoor and outdoor bars.<\/p>\n

The opening follows more than two years of planning. Next Level Brands<\/a> originally pursued another space at Sundial before litigation involving neighboring property owners changed the redevelopment plans.<\/p>\n

The company ultimately secured the former Sea Salt space, allowing it to renovate the existing restaurant rather than build one from the ground up while gaining a larger footprint.<\/p>\n

For Gigante, who grew up in St. Petersburg, the opening represents both a homecoming and a business<\/a> expansion. Many of his childhood friends invested in the restaurant, he said, and opening week also drew longtime Hyde Park customers across the bridge to visit the new location.<\/p>\n

Gigante said Forbici combines moderate pricing, live music and a nearly 400-seat dining room in a format designed to appeal to a broad range of diners.<\/p>\n

Unlike the company\u2019s higher-end concepts, he said, Forbici is intended to become part of customers\u2019 weekly routines rather than a destination reserved for special occasions.<\/p>\n

That operating model shapes the restaurant\u2019s economics. Gigante said pizza and pasta keep ingredient costs relatively stable compared with restaurants that rely more heavily on proteins.<\/p>\n

Portions are intentionally generous, prices typically increase only once or twice a year and the strategy is designed to encourage repeat visits rather than special-occasion dining.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are voting with their pocketbooks,\u201d Gigante said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking to increase guest visits to two to three times per week,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to really create the trust in your consumer<\/a> where they\u2019re like, \u2018Every time we come here, there\u2019s music playing, there\u2019s great vibe, there\u2019s energy, it\u2019s good, the food\u2019s consistent and we get a good portion.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Gigante said Next Level Brands documents construction, hiring and employee training before each opening, so customers become familiar with a restaurant before visiting for the first time.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe who tells the best story wins,\u201d Gigante said. \u201cThey take the ride along with us right through opening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next Level Brands is already planning its next investment in St. Petersburg. Drift, a cocktail bar under development at Sundial<\/a>, is expected to open later this year, and Gigante said additional concepts could follow.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we move, it\u2019s with purpose,\u201d Gigante said. \u201cWe\u2019re here in such a significant way that it\u2019s just natural that we\u2019re going to be looking to do more brands in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gigante said the region bears little resemblance to the Tampa Bay where he opened his first South Tampa<\/a> restaurant in 1996. At the time, he said he often walked servers to their cars after work because there was so little around the neighborhood.<\/p>\n

Population growth, downtown redevelopment and the expansion of technology<\/a>, finance and cybersecurity have since created a much larger customer base for restaurants.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are eating out as part of their culture now,\u201d Gigante said. \u201cThey\u2019re not looking at it as just a commodity. They\u2019re looking at it as their entertainment, their travel, their culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read More Tampa Bay Business News<\/p>\n

\n Explore the latest Tampa Bay business news, real estate<\/a> deals, development projects, executive moves and company updates shaping the region.\n <\/p>\n

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