When Jeff Gigante stepped into the Sundial property in downtown St. Petersburg, it felt less like business and more like a homecoming.
“St. Pete’s my hometown, so it’s a beautiful, sweet homecoming for me,” Gigante told TBBW.
The longtime restaurateur is bringing Forbici Modern Italian to Sundial, a mixed-use space that has struggled in recent years. He calls it an opportunity to revive a property that “has really fallen hard and been a blight for too long.”
As co-founder of Next Level Brands, the group behind Boulon Brasserie & Bakery and Union New American, Gigante sees Forbici’s expansion as both a business move and a personal milestone.
The St. Pete location will keep about 90% of Forbici’s Hyde Park menu, but Gigante said coastal markets demand their own flavor.
LEARN MORE ABOUT GIGANTE: Chatting with restauranteur Jeff Gigante
“For restaurants that are coastal, close to water like St. Pete and soon Sarasota, we’re going to be adding a little more of a coastal menu, more seafood,” he said.
A local investment
This isn’t just another expansion across the Bay. A portion of the investor group behind the new Forbici is made up of St. Petersburg business leaders, including some with whom Gigante grew up. Their backing, combined with his three decades in the restaurant business, gives him confidence that the brand will take root quickly.
“St. Pete is on fire right now,” he said. “We’re excited to be bringing our brand of hospitality, our vibe, all the energy, live music and everything we’re offering.”
Scale and ambition
At 400 seats, the new Forbici will dwarf most downtown restaurants. Renderings show a design from longtime collaborator Zébulon Perron, who also designed Boulon and Union in Tampa. The venue features a sprawling outdoor area, a private event space, live music both inside and out, and televisions tuned to major games.
The restaurant will launch with the company’s branded happy hour, which Gigante called “extremely aggressive and very, very festive.”
Lessons and growth
Sundial’s mixed-use setting isn’t new for Gigante.
“Forbici in Tampa is in Hyde Park Village, so it’s exactly that mixed-use space,” he said.
The challenge, as always, is staffing. To meet demand, Gigante plans to bring an opening crew from Tampa and train new hires in St. Pete.
Staffing, he added, is less daunting after years in hospitality. “When we put the call out, we get a very healthy response.”
Looking ahead
Forbici St. Pete won’t be the last. Gigante said Sarasota is next, with a lease in the works and he envisions more concepts across Pinellas County.
“We’re super excited to be coming to the St. Pete landscape,” he said. “It’ll be the first of several restaurants we want to do there.”
For Gigante, the project is about more than scaling a brand. It’s about returning to his roots, reshaping a cornerstone property and proving that St. Pete can sustain hospitality concepts built on intimacy.
