Goody Goody Makes Its Return Next Week

TAMPA, FL — Tampa Bay area residents who have been eagerly anticipating Goody Goody’s return don’t have to wait much longer. The Hyde Park eatery has announced plans to begin serving customers early next week.

The new Goody Goody will open its doors at 1601 W. Swann Ave. at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 23. The burger joint closed down more than a decade ago after serving the area since the 1920s.

“I’m ecstatic to bring back Goody Goody, this Tampa tradition that opened in 1925 and closed in 2005,” said Richard Gonzmart. “We’ve lost too many of these iconic places over the years and I really did not want the name to just fade away into history.”

Gonzmart is the president of the Columbia Restaurant Group. Under his direction, the company has expanded its flagship Columbia restaurant from two locations to seven. It is also responsible for Cha Cha Coconuts, Café Con Leche and Ulele. The restaurant group bought the Goody Goody brand name in 2014.

Gonzmart was interested in reviving the Goody Goody name and menu because the eatery “helped create Tampa’s identity,” he explained in a statement. “At the Columbia Restaurant, which recently marked its 110th anniversary – as did Hyde Park Village – we celebrate history, heritage, family and good food. That’s what this restaurant means to me.”

Goody Goody was founded in a simpler time, Gonzmart said.

“People were nicer to one another, kinder to one another,” he said. “That’s a feeling I want to bring back with this restaurant, at the very least for the time our guests spend with us.”

As for the authenticity of the menu, Gonzmart has vowed to follow tradition.

“I also promise to go back to the way the food was prepared in the old days and not to use any artificial ingredients or frozen French fries or canned vegetables.”

Once open, Goody Goody will serve customers from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. It will be open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturday.

For more information, visit Goody Goody online.

Photos courtesy of Goody Goody