Bern’s marks 70 years with La Segunda collaboration

Bern’s Steak House has outlasted strip malls, recessions and restaurant trends. This year, it turns 70.

The celebration starts with something simple: a steak sandwich.

From March 1-7, Bern’s is partnering with La Segunda Bakery on a limited-time sandwich that brings two Tampa family businesses together.

The sandwich will be available at La Segunda’s Ybor City, Kennedy Boulevard and St. Petersburg locations.

“It’s truly our honor to celebrate alongside La Segunda, another family business that has meant so much to Tampa for generations,” said David Laxer, owner and president of Bern’s Co. “They share our commitments to tradition and high-quality ingredients, so collaborating on an unforgettable steak sandwich feels like the perfect way to begin our 70th anniversary year.”

The sandwich is built on La Segunda Cuban bread and layered with truffle sauce, thinly shaved Bern’s ribeye, Bern’s proprietary cheese blend, caramelized onions and arugula.

Bern’s Steak House and La Segunda Bakery steak sandwich, sliced in half on a white marble surface. — The limited-time Bern’s steak sandwich will be sold at La Segunda Bakery locations March 1-7.

It echoes the steak sandwiches Bern and Gert Laxer served when they were still building the restaurant themselves.

“For more than a century, our bakery has been rooted in tradition and serving Tampa families every day,” said Kevin Partridge, chief operating officer of La Segunda Bakery. “Our teams both understand what it means to show up for your community year after year. This sandwich brings together the flavors people grew up with in a way that feels both familiar and special, and we’re proud to share that story with Bern’s.”

How a bar became Bern’s

In 1956, Bern and Gert Laxer bought the Beer Haven on South Howard Avenue.

They cooked, waited tables and washed dishes themselves. To save money, they salvaged letters from the Beer Haven sign and bought an “S” to create the name Bern’s. They later added “Steak House” after the phone company would not allow a single-name listing.

As the business grew, they purchased neighboring storefronts one by one. The single bar became eight dining rooms and 350 seats.

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In 1985, they built the Harry Waugh Dessert Room from redwood wine casks, where guests still end the evening.

Along the way, Bern Laxer built the wine cellar that helped define the restaurant’s national reputation.

Bern’s says its cellar now includes more than 6,800 selections and more than half a million bottles, and the restaurant has earned Wine Spectator’s Grand Award for many years.

Rows of wine bottles stored floor to ceiling inside Bern’s Steak House wine cellar in Tampa. — Bern’s Steak House wine cellar holds more than 6,800 selections and over half a million bottles.

Today, their son David Laxer leads Bern’s and its related ventures, including Haven, Élevage at the Epicurean Hotel, Bern’s Fine Wines & Spirits and Bern’s Winefest, extending the family’s presence across Tampa’s dining and wine scene.

The anniversary year will include additional collaborations, dinners and barrel releases, which Bern’s said will be announced in the coming months.

What began as a single bar built letter by letter now spans eight dining rooms, a world-class wine cellar and a second generation of leadership.

Bern’s Steak House is located at 1208 S. Howard Ave. It is open Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. It is closed on Mondays.