Restaurateurs team up to create unique dine-in vegan experience in St. Pete
The minds behind the local vegan hot spots Golden Dinosaurs, Black Radish and Nah Dogs are coming together to deliver a new vegan restaurant concept in Tampa Bay.
The restaurateurs are flipping an industrial storage building at 1900 1st Ave. S., next to the Spitfire Comedy House, to bring the first all-vegan-owned, full-service restaurant in the region: Good Intentions. Together, with their individual spin on vegan dishes, the group will create all-new offerings in an intimate upscale setting.
“There isn’t a vegan restaurant like this in Tampa Bay, and none that we know of in Florida,” said Audrey Dingeman, who runs Golden Dinosaurs in Gulfport with her husband Brian.
Dingeman said they worked with Jenna Malowany of KW Commercial to locate a space. Dingeman said they weren’t necessarily looking for a location on Central Avenue, knowing that loyal customers and vegans will travel outside of the Central Avenue spine. They were also seeking a big enough space for its bar, which will become the centerpiece of the new restaurant.
The group is leasing the 3,600-square-foot steel Quonset hut. The team is working with Chris Leonard with Tampa-based Leonard Contractors Inc. for the restaurant buildout, which confirmed that the buildout is estimated to be completed by the end of May. Dingeman also said the menu is still in development.
Good Intentions, exterior. Photo: Veronica Brezina
“We know how to make our own seitan [a popular protein source for many vegetarians and vegans]; everything is made from scratch. We are going to keep Golden Dinosaurs as a fast-casual while this will be more plated entrees and more elevated than what we [Golden Dinosaurs] are doing,” Dingeman said.
She and her husband, Brian, have over 40 years of experience in the industry, largely behind the bar and management.
Jeff and Jenny Howe of Nah Dogs have over a decade of restaurant experience and are spearheading the design and aesthetic. Meanwhile, Dingeman is overseeing the flow of the space, and her husband will develop the initial cocktail program.
Many cocktails and drinks from gin fizzes to Irish coffees and bloody Marys are traditionally not vegan – the group will recreate them as vegan cocktails.
Behind the counter
While all the owners are in the same restaurant niche, they all share another common thread – they performed in bands, which is initially how they became acquainted with one another.
The Howes, owners of Nah Dogs, and Brian of Golden Dinosaurs were in touring bands and have both performed at shows together, but didn’t form an immediate connection until later.
“When we moved to St. Pete and opened Golden Dinosaurs, they introduced themselves and we became very good friends. Within months of our opening, they opened Nah Dogs and we just formed this instant friendship with them,” Dingeman said.
The owners of Black Radish, Bryon Lippincott and Mikey Schmidt, were also in a band. The pairs all met while attending a Black Lives Matter protest in Tampa Bay in 2020 when the thought of joining forces ignited.
“We started brainstorming and had the same goals,” she said.
The name “Good Intentions” is a nod to a song by the punk rock band Gorilla Biscuits, Dingeman said.
While the menu is still being crafted and other details are to be ironed out, the restaurant will focus on dinner service throughout the week and brunch on Saturday and Sunday.
Ron L. Knaus
April 11, 2022at5:01 pm
Being plant-based for the past 7 years and being speaker at various Veg Fests throughout Florida I am elated that this restaurant is being formed. In planning on the menu, I would sincerely hope that there are items that can be ‘plant-based with no oil’; keeping in line with the health concepts that physicians and PhDs such as McDougal, Klaper, Esselstyn, (and of course) T. Colin Campbell (Forks over Knives, etc) and many others who have paved the way for health and disease reversal. There is also a rather large medical group that cont. to grow…The Academy for Lifestyle Medicine which is firmly in the Whole Plant Food (no oil) category. St. Pete is certainly one of the “it places” in the United States today and healthy food at Good Intentions will only make “IT” better.
Idit
April 11, 2022at10:04 am
Amazing, can’t wait to try it.
Kim
April 11, 2022at8:40 am
The title is still inaccurate. There are several dine in vegan restaurants already in st.pete.
Veronica Brezina
April 11, 2022at9:55 am
Hi Kim, this is the first all-vegan-owned restaurant of its kind, according to the owners.
Lou
April 8, 2022at1:26 pm
I look forward to checking it out, but it’s not the first dine-in, fully vegan place in the area. Lotus Vegan Restaurant at 6575 Park Blvd N, Pinellas Park has been completely vegan since 2016. There’s also Cider Press Cafe that relocated from Central and is reopening soon at 3118 3rd Avenue N, St. Pete. Leafy Greens was open for 13 years until last year. Tampa has a bunch too.
Veronica Brezina
April 8, 2022at2:02 pm
Yes, those are great vegan restaurants. This will be full-service and entirely vegan-owned and operated, according to the owners, and it has multiple restauranteurs involved.