Few restaurants become institutions. Fewer still become symbols of a city. Columbia Restaurant, founded in Ybor City in 1905, is both.
For five generations, the Gonzmart family has guided Columbia not by quarterly reports or outside investors but by family decisions made in the dining rooms and kitchens. That stewardship has made Columbia not only a business but a cultural anchor for the Tampa Bay Area.
Columbia’s story shows the power of family ownership, the ability to adapt as Tampa has grown and the lessons business leaders can draw from a century of resilience.
READ THE GONZMART’S COVER STORY: Richard and Andrea Gonzmart talk about succession, the Buccaneer and lessons learned from each other
A Tampa legacy
Columbia opened in 1905 to serve the cigar workers and immigrant families of Ybor City. Over time, it became a destination for presidents, celebrities and generations of locals.
Today, Andrea Gonzmart Williams, a fifth-generation owner, carries the legacy forward.
“Being that I grew up in the restaurant, it was only natural for me to be involved,” she told TBBW. “Columbia Restaurant is very much a part of my identity, just like the way Columbia is part of the city’s identity.”
Her father, Richard Gonzmart, represents the fourth generation. His passion for philanthropy, vision for restaurants and boundless energy have long shaped the family business. He has often recalled his childhood in the Columbia kitchen, where checking the fish for freshness became his first “job.”
Andrea’s path looked different. Her early years were more structured. She worked summers as a hostess, cashier or filing paperwork before joining the company full-time, after graduating from the University of South Florida.
Today, Andrea and her cousin, Casey Gonzmart Jr., represent the fifth generation of leadership at Columbia. Both are owner-operators who contribute daily to the company’s operations, carrying forward the family legacy. At the helm remains Andrea’s father, Richard Gonzmart, President and CEO, whose vision and energy continue to shape the Columbia brand. Together, the three embody the balance of tradition and progress that has defined the restaurant for more than a century.
Balancing tradition and change
Leading Columbia is as much about preservation as it is about progress. For Andrea, the challenge is to modernize operations without losing the restaurant’s soul.
“We’re always looking for ways to improve, but never be obvious about how things have changed,” she said. “We’re trying to add more technology and become more efficient so that our operations run more smoothly.”
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That balance often plays out in Andrea’s relationship with Richard. She is pragmatic and meticulous, with a focus on budgets and deadlines. He is the dreamer, seeing vision first and cost second.
In a June 2023 interview with TBBW, Richard pointed to The Buccaneer, a planned restaurant on Longboat Key, as his final major project.
The concept was deeply personal, modeled after his parents’ favorite dining spot, which closed in 1992. At the time, Andrea smiled knowingly at his claim, reminding readers of their balance: Richard as the dreamer, Andrea as the pragmatist keeping budgets on track.
At the time, Andrea tried to keep it grounded but laughed when her father insisted on elaborate features such as video “windows” in the bathrooms showing live beach scenes.
“I’m trying to scale it back because we’re so over budget, but he keeps coming back to this bathroom,” Andrea said. Richard’s response: “I got it figured out.”
Anchored by community
Despite its fame, more than 80% of Columbia’s customers are locals. That loyalty has fueled a deep commitment to giving back.
“The community and the city have been supporting us for 120 years,” Andrea said. “They have embraced us, and we have embraced the community. We always want to give back to the community which has supported us.”
Richard’s Father’s Day Walk & Jog has raised nearly $1 million for Moffitt Cancer Center. Andrea helped create an employee assistance fund during the pandemic to cover rent and car payments when staff were hit hardest. The program remains in place as part of the company’s charitable work.
RELATED: Richard Gonzmart donates $1 million to Jesuit High School
Keeping the legacy alive
Columbia is not just a place to eat. It is part of Tampa’s story, a symbol of how tradition and progress can coexist. Andrea often encourages her own daughter to wander the restaurant’s halls, just as her father once did as a boy.
Richard said in 2023 he planned to step back at age 72, though Andrea doubted he would ever fully retire. The two are next-door neighbors, and their bond extends beyond the restaurant to marathon courses, where they train and run side by side.
For Andrea, the legacy is both a responsibility and a source of pride.
“I don’t want to see a day that I walk into a Columbia Restaurant, and I can’t say that I’m the fifth generation,” she said. “I don’t want to see that day. It’s my home.”
For executives and entrepreneurs, Columbia offers a simple blueprint: evolve carefully, stay authentic and never lose sight of the people who make it possible.
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