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COLUMBIA RESTAURANT
www.columbiarestaurant.com
Locations:
7locations
• Tampa – Ybor City (since 1905)
• Sarasota – St. Armands Circle (since 1959)
• St. Augustine – Historic District (since 1983)
• Celebration – South of Orlando (since 1987)
• Clearwater Beach – Sand Key (since 1989)
• West Palm Beach (since 2005)
• St. Petersburg (since 2006)
History/Company Profile:
The Columbia Restaurant was founded in 1905 by Cuban immigrant Casimiro
Hernandez, Sr. It began in Tampa's Ybor City as a small corner café
frequented by Spanish and Italian immigrants. Within a year, Hernandez
took over the restaurant next door and converted it into an extra
dining room. In 1927, Casimiro Hernandez, Jr. took the reins. During
the height of the Depression, he took a chance by building the first
air-conditioned dining room in Tampa, complete with an elevated dance
floor. The Don Quixote room was born. In the 1950's Hernandez, Jr.
hired his new son-in-law, Cesar Gonzmart, a former concert violinist.
Gonzmart had a flair for the artistic, and upon taking over direction
of the restaurant, built a large showroom, the Siboney Room. The showroom
attracted the top Latin talent of the time. The tradition continues
today at the original restaurant in Ybor City, where Spanish flamenco
dancers perform six nights a week. To this day, the Columbia Restaurant
has few rivals. Now in its fourth and fifth generation of family ownership
and operation, it is the oldest restaurant in Florida and the largest
Spanish restaurant in the world. More than 100 years later, the tradition
of the Columbia Restaurant continues. The original restaurant in Ybor
City seats more than 1,600 in 11 dining rooms.
Benefits:
Vacation, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and 401 K.
Detailed information coming.
Management Profile:
Detailed information coming.
Growth:
1 per year
