What’s ahead for Datz, now that it’s open in St. Pete

Roger Perry, co-founder and owner of Datz Restaurant Group, isn’t wasting any time in planning his next venture.

On Monday, just minutes after cutting the ribbon for a Datz restaurant in downtown St. Petersburg, Perry told the St. Pete Catalyst that “another Datz” is on its way.

He declined to say where but pointed east – towards Tampa.

The St. Petersburg Datz is just the second location for the iconic brand, which opened in south Tampa in 2009. The site was favored by Datz foodies, Perry said.

“We did a crowdsourcing of where they would like to see the next Datz and it was overwhelming — downtown St. Pete. Brandon was No. 2 and Carrollwood was No. 3, but overwhelmingly, more than 60 to 65 percent of people wanted us to be in downtown St. Pete,” Perry said.

The vibrant business climate in St. Petersburg made it an easy choice, Perry said.

“The town is just alive right now. Everywhere you see cranes going up. It’s become more than just a vacation spot, it’s a year-round city now. Tampa also is more of a year-round city, our restaurant business doesn’t fall off in the summer, and with all this new construction and new residences going in, it seems like a no-brainer,” he said.

Roger and Suzanne Perry, who’s also a co-founder and owner at Datz, opened another concept, Dr. BBQ, in the EDGE District in St. Pete in October, and it’s also doing well.

“Dr. BBQ is over projection, it’s doing fabulous, so it just makes sense to be here,” Roger Perry said.

Other Datz Restaurant Group brands are Roux, a southern Creole concept; Dough, a bakery; and The Canyon, the café inside the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art.

The St. Petersburg Datz, at 180 Central Ave., is in the same building and adjacent to the James Museum.

The menu is identical to the Tampa Datz, which serves what’s been described as edgy and inventive comfort food.

“If you know Datz and you go to Datz, you want Datz food. So we might run some specials that might be a little different but right now it’s the exact same menu,” Perry said.