The restored Telephone Building in downtown Clearwater has landed its first restaurant tenant, with the hospitality group behind Michelin-starred Rocca bringing its first Clearwater concept to Cleveland Street.
Called Rippers, the restaurant will occupy the building’s ground floor and serve deep-fried “ripper” hot dogs, burgers, chicken wings, sandwiches, fries and handcrafted milkshakes. It also marks Tastes Pretty Good Hospitality’s first expansion outside Tampa.
Founded in 2024, the company operates Rocca, Bar Terroir, Streetlight Taco and the recently opened Lumbre. Rocca has earned four consecutive Michelin stars, while Bar Terroir is recommended by the Michelin Guide and Streetlight Taco received a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation.
The move also gives the Cleveland Street Alliance’s restoration effort its first completed project and its first announced restaurant tenant. Built in 1914, the Telephone Building was restored with its original brick façade, storefront, windows and architectural details intact while the interior was updated for new commercial tenants.
Chief Executive Nick Reader said the company saw many of the same qualities in downtown Clearwater that drew it to Tampa.
“We started in Tampa as a love letter to the city we grew up in,” Reader said. “When this opportunity arose to come to Clearwater, we saw something very familiar.”
Reader said restaurants help create the kind of street activity that encourages people to spend time downtown.
“The opportunity there is enormous,” he said. “Food brings people together, and community brings people together. If we can be a small part of a big development, that’s very exciting for us.”
Culinary Director Bryce Bonsack said the building itself helped shape the concept.
“When we walked into that space, we were immediately drawn to it,” Bonsack said. “It’s historic, it has incredible character and there’s so much history behind it.”
The Cleveland Street Alliance has been restoring historic buildings and recruiting businesses along Cleveland Street as part of its effort to revive downtown Clearwater’s commercial core. An opening date for Rippers has not been announced.
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