The original World of Beer location in St. Petersburg located at 5226 Fourth St. N. will close its doors for good within the next ten days according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Philippe Theodore and Jason Rappapor, the owners of the Fourth Street location, also own the other World of Beer in Downtown St. Pete as well as World of Beer locations in South Tampa, Carrollwood, and New Tampa. They plan to open a Brandon location within the next three months and already have their sites set on Denver and Houston, both of which they want to add two World of Beer locations to within the next eight months.
Theodore and Rappapor cite an over-saturated craft beer bar market (including the Downtown St. Pete World of Beer) as their reason for closing the original World of Beer location in St. Pete, but this won't be the end for the location that houses the Fourth Street World of Beer.
According to the Times, a new owner is already poised to take over the location and transform it into a gastropub complete with a full food menu and outdoor patio. The gastropub's menu will focus on locally-sourced organic foods and is set to open within the next 30 days.
