Miller’s Ale House opens
Miller’s Ale House, a sports-themed, casual dining restaurant and bar, recently opened at 25264 State Road 54, in Cypress Creek Town Center, next to Tampa Premium Outlets, in Lutz.
The 7,200-square-foot restaurant features seating for 239 with an indoor and outdoor bar.
The restaurant has more than 60 televisions throughout — making it easy for diners to watch their favorite team.
The restaurant chain has more than 90 locations, including 58 in Florida.
“We chose Wesley Chapel for our newest location due to the residential and retail growth over the last several years, in addition to the impressive growth planned in the years ahead,” Miller’s Ale House President and COO Ray Holden said, in a news release. “This area is a go-to destination for dining and shopping, and we look forward to serving our loyal Miller’s customers in a new area.”
Chamber business breakfast
The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce will have its monthly business breakfast on Feb. 3 at 7 a.m., at 6851 Wire Road. The breakfast will be hosted by The Elks, and admission is $10.
GrowPasco
GrowPasco aims to equip entrepreneurs and executives for growth. An upcoming all-day event will feature 15 breakout sessions, as well as a keynote address by Peter Kageyama, author of “For the Love of Cities.”
The event is set for Feb. 26 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Hyatt Place Wesley Chapel, 26000 Sierra Center Blvd., in Lutz.
Registration for Pasco businesses and residents is $20 per person; for non-Pasco residents or businesses, it is $40 per person. The price includes registration, workshop materials, breakfast and lunch.
To register, visit the Pasco Economic Development Council Inc.’s website, PascoEDC.com, and click on the events tab.
Recovery of hotel industry
The hotel industry will continue moving toward recovery in 2022, but the path will be uneven and potentially volatile, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s 2022 State of the Hotel Industry Report. The report also predicts that full recovery is still several years away.
The report was created in collaboration with AHLA Silver Partner Accenture, and is based on data and forecasts from Oxford Economics and AHLA Platinum Partner STR.
Some of the key findings in the report include:
- Hotel occupancy rates and room revenue are projected to approach 2019 levels in 2022.
- The outlook for ancillary revenue, which includes food & beverage and meeting space, is less optimistic.
- Hotels lost a collective $111.8 billion in room revenue alone during 2020 and 2021.
- Leisure travelers will continue to drive recovery: In 2019, business travelers made up 52.5% of industry room revenue; in 2022, it is projected to represent just 43.6%.
- Business travel is expected to remain down more than 20% for much of the year, while just 58% of meetings and events are expected to return; the full effects of Omicron are not yet known.
- Changing traveler segments, including the rapid rise of bleisure travelers (those who blend business and leisure travel), are affecting the way hotels operate. One study of global business travelers found that 89% wanted to add a private holiday to their business trips in the next 12 months.
Grand openings/ribbon-cuttings
These grand openings and ribbon-cuttings were announced by the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce:
- Woodie’s Wash Shack, 24749 State Road 54, in Lutz, Feb. 4, 10:30 a.m. until noon. Event will feature music, antique cars, the Buccaneers Street Team and more.
- Stretch Lab had its grand opening on Jan. 27, at 1281 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.
- Curaleaf had a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan. 25, at 19416 Bruce B. Downs, Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.
Marketplace adds BurgerFi
BurgerFi has opened a 2,030-square-foot restaurant at The Preserve Marketplace, at 16120 Preserve Marketplace Blvd, in Odessa, according to a BurgerFi news release.
The restaurant specializes in burgers, fresh-cut fries, beer-battered onion rings, the VegeFi (its take on a veggie burger), the CEO Burger (made with premium American Wagyu beef), chicken, frozen custard, and local craft beer and wine.
The Odessa location opened in December 2021.
Get free business help
Pasco-Hernando SCORE offers free individual, confidential small business mentoring. Volunteer experts provide the assistance to help small business owners to solve their problems and grow their business. To find out more, visit PascoHernando.score.org.
