Florida’s oldest restaurant is pushing to reopen its Sarasota location by the end of the month

The Columbia restaurant is known for its 1905 salad and its offering of Spanish and Cuban dishes. Many of its locations around Tampa Bay had to close after Hurricanes Helene and Milton hit within two weeks of each other.

But Andrea Gonzmart Williams, fifth-generation concierge at the Columbia restaurants, tells WUSF’s Kerry Sheridan that a plan to reopen is taking shape.

The St. Armand Circle location has been closed since Helene hit on Sept. 26. What kind of damage did you suffer from that storm?

GONZMART WILLIAMS: “We got about three or four feet of water. So we lost all our equipment, we lost all our product. We lost most of our chairs and things like that, and drywall. So we’ve been working very, very hard to get this restaurant back.”

So the first damage this season really came from Helene, which flooded the entire Cercle St. Armand area. And Hurricane Milton followed.

GONZMART WILLIAMS: “Yeah, it was crazy to see the pictures of refrigerators floating on top of other things. It’s just…it’s hard to fathom that water could move this heavy equipment the way it did, and there was salt water. and all this misfortune. And so there is nothing to save it, but that’s okay.

“The good news is that when Milton decided to come, we were at a very good stopping point, so we didn’t waste any more time than we already had, because we hadn’t gone back to drywall yet. So everything had to be. dry, and now we can continue the restoration process there.”

And what about other Columbia restaurant locations in Ybor City and Sand Key near Clearwater Beach?

GONZMART WILLIAMS: “When it comes to my restaurants in Tampa, outside of the loss of power, we had no damage. We’re very fortunate. So once the restaurants got power back for Helene and Milton, we were able to open.” .

courtesy: Columbia Restaurant

Tell me about your staff. I imagine some of them are out of work and will have to look for another job in the meantime. Do some of them help with cleaning?

GONZMART WILLIAMS: “Absolutely. It’s all hands on deck, our general managers, our assistant managers, our chefs. We love being able to bring in employees so we can pay them more, because if we’re already giving them some sort of Compensation, the we’ll give a little more to come in and help people come after a storm They don’t want to be locked in the house not be home, and some of them don’t have power, so they were even happier to be in the air conditioning

“It was very similar to Irma for me, this Milton hurricane, because (Hurricane) Irma (in 2017) was supposed to be this direct hit, and then it took this turn. But Milton really gave us a real scare. through all these smaller hurricanes, it’s taught us how to manage our staff, make sure we’re aware of them, allowing them to not stay open until the last minute, closing so they can go home and be able deal with your personal things when we could be open It is compassion that is so important.

“We’re still navigating how we’re going to compensate our employees who didn’t work, who didn’t get paid. We can’t leave them like that. Some of them, like Sarasota, are leaving. to end up probably closed for four weeks, and you can’t just not pay people for four weeks. So as a company and as a family, you know, they’re a family, and so we have to make sure they’re taken care of.”

How do these last few weeks compare to the storms you’ve seen over the years at the Sarasota location, specifically where you have the Columbia restaurant and you also have ChaCha Coconuts next door?

GONZMART WILLIAMS: “Helene was the first time we’ve closed for an extended period of time at the two restaurants there. It’s horrible to say they’re used to taking on water and so we have very minimal plasterboard in this restaurant. , which allows us to reopen within 24 hours. We have never had flooding at this level, in Helene, but something like this is the first time for us”.

courtesy: Columbia Restaurant

You are in these popular tourist spots, close to water in some areas and they get flooded again and again. Have you ever thought about getting out of the area?

GONZMART WILLIAMS: “We would never leave where we are. I mean, we’re the oldest restaurant in the state of Florida, here in Ybor City. It’s what we do. It’s the only thing I know. Columbia Restaurant is my home.. All my restaurants are at home, so it’s the only, like I said, the only thing I know how to do.

And do you think restaurants can survive this? It has to be a huge financial hit to get over it.

GONZMART WILLIAMS: “We’re a very solid company. We’re very fiscally responsible, and because we have restaurants and other locations that are still having sales and bringing in money. Yes, it’s our bottom line, which will be impacted significantly, no doubt. , but I have full confidence that we will fully recover from this.

“Even though it was a bad experience for my team, it’s amazing how well they’ve come together and how everyone knows their jobs and what they’re doing. And with every experience like this, I really think it brings us closer together. “.

This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.