Flatbread on Main: Artisanal pizza, craft beer and community focus

When customers are willing to travel nearly an hour for your product, you might suspect you're onto something. When TripAdvisor names your restaurant the No.-1-ranked pizzeria in southwest Florida, you can be sure of it.

When Boston-area native Glenn Comeau first opened his artisan pizza shop, Flatbread, in his new home of Englewood two years ago, the former fine-home builder says it didn't take long for word to spread about his restaurant.

This Friday ,Comeau will open his second Flatbread restaurant in the former Whiteberry location at 1473 Main St., and he hopes the Sarasota location will be just as successful.

"I think our product is a big part of that success," he says. "You can have a burger at McDonald's, or you can have a burger from Patrick's. They're both burgers, but they're completely different. That's the way we look at our pizza."

With a focus on artisanal pizza featuring fresh ingredients, hand-made dough and house-prepared toppings, Comeau and General Manager Brian Izzo say they expect Flatbread to be a welcomed new face on the rapidly developing Main Street.

"We serve high-quality pizza, we focus on local craft beer (Flatbread will have a variety of Cigar City beers on tap, as well as a selection of wine from small, family owned wineries), even our tabletops are made from reclaimed laurel oak wood — a local variety," says Izzo. "So we care about the community, and we can't wait to become a part of it and welcome a whole new group of friends and customers."