TWIS Asks: Mike Evanoff of Evie's Tavern on Main Street

As owner of Evie's Tavern, White Buffalo Saloon and Evie's Family Golf Center, as well as valet services, a car wash and other entrepreneurial endeavors, Mike Evanoff knows what it takes to create a successful business.

But as Evanoff has sought to open a new concept — which includes a bowling alley — on Sarasota's Main Street, he's run into delays with city building regulations.

Now that he's set a tentative Sept. 2 opening date for Evie's Tavern, we sat down with him to talk about the future of downtown and how the city could be more business friendly.

What excites you most about bringing Evie's Tavern to Main Street?

I’m excited to be in a location where it's active and there’s a lot happening. There are other restaurants; there’s high traffic and it’s a place to be. It's exciting to be in an area with heavy traffic, rather than always having to be a destination location, which I’ve done in the past.

How will the new Evie’s Tavern fit into the current culture of downtown?

Back in the day when the Sports Page was there, it was an iconic location. And now that they’re not, I think we’re filling a void on Main Street that has been there for a long time: a real sports bar with a full menu. Our menu is simple, and two lanes of bowling adds something new, fun and exciting in downtown Sarasota.

What were some challenges in opening a new restaurant on Main Street?

It’s taken close to a year and half for the contractor to work with the city to figure out how to tear down an existing building on Main Street and how to work with utilities. You can't expect for things to happen overnight; the process takes awhile. Some factors always arise, like the traffic study, and you just have to take the punches as they come and try to roll with them and continue to work to get your vision in place.

What's the latest on plans to convert the current Evie's Tavern on Ringling Boulevard to a new concept?

I was working with the landlord, and we had a vision to go no-smoking, put in beautiful garage doors with glass that matched the building, have nice outdoor seating and give it a really nice flow. We worked on that for  about six months, but because we went for a special exception eight years ago and didn't ask for outdoor seating, we're not allowed to put seats out front now.

So that hindered our vision. And because we wanted to put the garage doors in, the city said we would need a major conditional use permit, which costs anywhere from $15,000 from $20,000, and neither myself nor the landlord wanted to take on that expense. So we really have been handcuffed at this location.

So now we’re going to make the change to the Office Bar SRQ anyway and put in a new sign and redo the inside  — and have smoking, unfortunately.

How is it working with the city?

Every time you try to make something that's going to better the city and better the people that live downtown, it seems like you run into a roadblock. And it's hard to find somebody in the city that really wants to work with you. I know there are rules and regulations and you’ve got to follow them — and we do — but there’s just no easy way to do anything.

Would you invest in other concepts within the city again?

No. I was going to do a location in the Rosemary District, and I’m just tired. To try to go through another process of getting something passed would take up too much time and money.

How do you envision the future of downtown Sarasota?

We can all see how it's growing. The point I think we all need to realize is that with the arts, restaurants and all the beautiful hotels that are coming, it's not a small city anymore. It’s growing. The word is out about the city around the world. People are coming from everywhere now to see the beautiful beaches, the skyline, St. Armands and Main Street. It's becoming a bigger destination than some people want, but we need to prepare for that. And I think it's going to be a fun place for us to be.