Predalina, the new sister restaurant to Oxford Exchange, will be a big departure from Caspers' other concepts
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Mar 31, 2022

Between their literary themes and bold, classic designs, sister restaurants Oxford Exchange in Tampa and The Library in St. Petersburg have a similar vibe.

But Predalina, the new Mediterranean restaurant that parent company Oxford Commons will open in Water Street Tampa early next year, will not feel even vaguely related to its sister concepts. Predalina will occupy 6,900 square feet on the street level of Cora, an apartment tower in Water Street’s first phase.

“The design is going to be very different,” said Allison Casper Adams, who controls Oxford Commons with her brother, Blake Casper. “It’s really, architecturally, a departure.”

Smith Dalia Architects and NAINOA Architecture & Interiors have been hired to design Predalina; Oxford Design, Oxford Commons’ in-house interior design studio, is collaborating with the two firms on the space. DeLotto is the general contractor.

Predalina will have an emphasis on seafood and serve lunch, dinner and brunch. The space will likely seat 180 people, similar in size to Oxford Exchange. Adams has engaged a New York-based recruiter to help hire the kitchen staff. Richard Anderson, executive chef at Oxford Exchange, has been promoted to culinary director for Oxford Commons and will oversee all three restaurants.

“It’s going to have a vibe and a feel that’s different,” Adams said. “This is going to be more of a nighttime restaurant.”

The Caspers, whose family business Caspers Co. is the largest McDonald’s franchisee in Florida, launched Oxford Exchange in 2012. Oxford Commons debuted in 2018 as the Caspers prepared to open the Alexander Brown in Baltimore. (That restaurant fell victim to the pandemic and closed in May 2020.)

The Stovall House, a private social club on Bayshore Boulevard, is also owned by Oxford Commons. It opened in 2021.

Adams says she wasn’t looking to open another concept; The Library opened in late 2018, and the Alexander Brown opened in early 2019. But inspiration struck after touring Water Street’s available real estate.

“It is so spectacular,” she said, “and we wanted to be part of it.”

Initially, she thought they might open a location of The Library in Tampa.

“We both decided once we saw the space and what’s going on down there that we wanted to do something else,” Adams said, “and The Library is similar to Oxford Exchange.”

Like Oxford Exchange, Predalina will also have a retail component, though it will be a small fraction of the size of the boutique at Oxford Exchange.

While the Alexander Brown was a short-lived venture, it’s one that imparted a few lessons, Adams said.

“Our No. 1 lesson is that location is really important,” she said. “And with Water Street, you can’t lose.”