Fabio Viviani, local restaurateurs to take over WestShore Plaza restaurant space
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jul 19, 2022

A prohibition-inspired chophouse by a pair of Wesley Chapel restaurateurs and celebrity chef Fabio Viviani is taking over the WestShore Plaza storefront that was briefly home to a charcoal grill-inspired restaurant.

Amendment XXI has signed a lease for the 7,950-square-foot restaurant space that was the longtime home of Mitchell's Fish Market, said Paul Fischetti, broker and owner of Fisco Realty Co. in Clearwater. Fischetti represented Babb Hospitality Group and Viviani in the lease transaction.

Mitchell's closed in mid-2020 after nearly 15 years at the mall, and a charcoal grill-themed restaurant briefly backfilled the space. Fischetti said his data shows other restaurants at the mall are doing well financially — the chains in the mall outperform the U.S. average for sales volume per location.

"The real estate is extremely strong," Fischetti said of the location. "Westshore has a great draw, and there's a great daytime population."

Accelerated Construction Services of Orlando is the general contractor on the project; the architect is api(+) of Tampa. Fischetti said the restaurant aims to open by December.

Viviani will be the "brains and operations" behind the menu at Amendment XXI, Fischetti said. While it's too soon to share specifics, Fischetti said the menu will share some common themes with Taverna Costale, a St. Petersburg restaurant on which Viviani is also collaborating with Brian Henry and Anthony Sandstrom of Babb. Sandstrom and Babb have also collaborated with Viviani on Chuck Lager America's Tavern, which is open in Wesley Chapel and has locations under construction in Oldsmar and Tampa's Westshore Marina District.