Later this fall, Florida Cracker Fish Company – a new seafood-focused concept from the team behind Florida Cracker Kitchen – will open its doors in the former Ballyhoo Grill located at 7604 Ehrlich Rd, according to co-owner Ethan Hensley.
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“We’re definitely excited to be coming into the Carollwood-Citrus Park community, and we’ve been welcomed so far very nicely,” Hensley tells What Now Tampa. “We’ve had quite a nice response from our hiring that we started this week as well. So we’re excited to be coming to the Tampa area, and we’re looking forward to getting open and showing the community what we have to offer.”
Fans of Florida Cracker Kitchen’s other locations in Brooksville, Dade City, and Homosassa will find the new Citrus Park outpost to be relatively similar, however, the menu will have a greater emphasis on fish and seafood.
“It is a little bit different than our other locations because it’s the Fish Company,” says Hensley, “so the menu is going to be a little more driven towards fish. But it’s still going to have the same Florida Cracker feel and family atmosphere that all of our other locations have.”
While largely known for their signature breakfast and brunch offerings such as the Ybor Breakfast Burritos, Florida Cowboy Classic, and World Famous 10,000 Island Shrimp & Grits, Florida Cracker Fish Company will doubtlessly capitalize on the Cracker Kitchen’s already well-developed seafood menu that includes an Oyster Basket, Catfish Fry, and Mom’s Crab Cakes.
Florida Cracker Kitchen was founded in 2012 by Ethan Hensley and his brother Blair, following Ethan’s studies at the New England Culinary Institute while Blair served as logistics coordinator for the Ironman Triathlons, and subsequently operated a restaurant and food stand. Further back, however, the two spent their childhoods immersed in the restaurant industry, beginning with their mother’s Brooksville restaurant, Mallie Kylas.