Two popular Sarasota restaurants announce new owners

Jimmy Geurts, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Updated ·3 min read

Two Sarasota restaurants open for 22 years, one in the Gulf Gate neighborhood and the other in Southside Village, recently announced on social media that they have new owners.

Munchies 420 Cafe in Gulf Gate posted on Facebook last week that it is now under new ownership, with "exciting updates to come." Later that week, Knick's Tavern & Grill's new owner Thomas "Tommy" Lovell introduced himself in his own Facebook post.

In the post, Lovell detailed his history with Knick's growing up in Sarasota, where the Barger family that previously owned the restaurant were his neighbors and family friends. When he brought his wife to Sarasota to meet his parents for the first time, they had dinner at Knick's.

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"I look forward to meeting many of you who have your own memories at Knick's from years past," the post read. "As we navigate this transition, I want to assure you that the casual, comfortable atmosphere and the quality of our dishes from the past will remain integral to our identity."

Knick's opened in 2002 and is known for its inventive takes on comfort foods such as its Brunch Burger — with Angus beef, bacon, fried egg and American cheese, placed on a grilled pita rather than a bun — which the Herald-Tribune named one of Sarasota-Manatee's best burgers last year.

Knick's Tavern & Grill, the Southside Village restaurant known for inventive takes on comfort foods such as its brunch burger pictured here, recently announced its new owner in a Facebook post.
Knick's Tavern & Grill, the Southside Village restaurant known for inventive takes on comfort foods such as its brunch burger pictured here, recently announced its new owner in a Facebook post.

Also opened in 2002, Munchies offers late-night hours and "fatty and fried food that would be enticing especially (but not exclusively) to the inebriated," as described in a 2017 Herald-Tribune story marking the restaurant's 15th anniversary, such as the Fat Sandy, a sandwich combining two burgers, chicken fingers, mac and cheese, mozzarella sticks, potato wedges and onion rings "like an Avengers team of junk food."

Munchies is also known for its “Fire in Your Hole” challenge where, after signing a waiver, participants must eat 10 wings doused in a hot sauce using ghost chili extract within 20 minutes. The challenge appeared in a 2009 Sarasota-centric episode of Travel Channel's "Man v. Food," with then-host Adam Richman proving unsuccessful. (Richman would later say it was the most painful challenge he attempted on the show, claiming restaurant staff covertly added "the whole bottle" of ghost chili extract, during an episode of the popular web series "Hot Ones" that features celebrities answering questions while eating hot wings, ironically.)

Munchies 420 Cafe is at 6639 Superior Ave. and is currently open 4:20 p.m.-4:20 a.m. daily. For more information, call 941-303-3304 or visit facebook.com/munchies420fl.

Knick's Tavern & Grill is at 1818 S. Osprey Ave. and after reopening for lunch recently, is now open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday, 4-10 p.m. Saturday and closed Sunday. For more information, call 941-955-1818 or visit facebook.com/knickstavern.

Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota restaurants Knick's Tavern, Munchies 420 Cafe have new owners