Owner of La Segunda shares why Ybor bakery is expanding to St. Pete
The prominent Ybor City-based Le Segunda Bakery is baking plans to open a new location in St. Petersburg.
The 106-year-old La Segunda Bakery and Cafe, the world’s largest producer of Cuban bread, will open its third location in the Holiday Plaza this fall, according to the restaurant’s announcement.
“We have been patiently waiting to open in St. Pete and we felt that it was a good time,” Copeland More, fourth-generation owner, told the St. Pete Catalyst. He said the vibrance and walkable nature of the city attracted the bakery.
The new 1,820-square-foot location 2436 4th Street will focus on grab-and-go orders, delivery and catering. There will be indoor seating for 40 guests and an outdoor, pet-friendly patio that will also accommodate 40 seats.
“The main thing for us is we only serve breakfast and lunch so we want to be close to office clusters and strong residential markets – like our location in Westshore,” More said.
The St. Petersburg location is expected to offer many of the same dishes at La Segunda’s other bakeries such as Cuban sandwiches and quesitos, and it will brew Ybor-based Naviera brand coffee.
The bakery and cafe will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. seven days a week.
The design for the St. Pete location will be similar to the interior design of the Westshore location, which opened in 2018.
It will feature red brick walls to pay homage to Ybor City’s roots. There will also be custom-made iron work accents, similar to the Spanish and Italian architecture of Tampa’s 7th Avenue, and globe-shaped pendant lighting and mounted lamps throughout the café to give a nod to Ybor City’s architecture, according to the release.
The lease for the new location is for a maximum of 20 years with renewal options.
Some of the seasoned employees in Westshore will relocate to the St. Pete bakery, More said. The restaurant will hire roughly 25 people for the new location.
More said La Segunda has explored expanding into other markets as well, including Riverview, Brandon and Wesley Chapel.
