High-end whiskey-centric eatery leases downtown Sarasota spot

A high-end Fort Lauderdale bar and restaurant company, Damn Good Hospitality, is planning its debut in Sarasota with a fine-dining, whiskey-infused location in a coveted second-floor spot on Main Street downtown. 

The company intends to open a restaurant dubbed Warren in an 11,500-square-foot space on the second floor of two connected buildings in Five Points. The ground-floor tenants are sports apparel and sneaker retailer Fit2Run and Sunburn, a medical cannabis dispensary. 

Guests will enter Warren through a large lobby/foyer area on Pineapple Avenue, according to a statement, while the second-floor space is along Main Street and Pineapple Avenue. That floor, the release adds, offers “sweeping views of the Five Points intersection and park.”

The owner of the building, 1400 and 1410 Main Street, is Chris Brown, who owns several other properties and restaurants in Sarasota and on Siesta Key. Brown recently acquired The Boatyard on Siesta Key.    

Kevin Robbins with Robbins Real Estate, who handled the lease transaction with his father, Loyd Robbins of Loyd Robbins & Co., says Brown held out for several years to sign a lease for the space. They considered gyms, architecture firms, engineering firms and even a few private clubs, Robbins says. 

Damn Good Hospitality and Warren, with its night-club sleek and swanky vibe, was the right fit. The Sarasota Warren, expected to open in late summer 2025, is the third one from Damn Good Hospitality, following others in Delray and Naples, according to the statement. 

“Five Points intersection is the epicenter of downtown Sarasota,” says Robbins in the statement. “The fact that there are hospitality groups, like Damn Good Hospitality, leasing 10,000-plus-square-foot spaces in the downtown core is significant. Larger hospitality groups used to be reserved for places like St. Armands and Siesta Key. The move to these kinds of tenants in downtown Sarasota speaks to demand from residents and visitors for this type of business.”

One of the keys to the Warren brand, say Damn Good Hospitality officials, is its whiskey program. 

"Our extensive whiskey library, the largest in South Florida, will find a fitting home in this landmark location," Damn Good Hospitality CEO Jeff John says in the statement. “Our decision to open in the heart of downtown Sarasota aligns perfectly with our vision of blending local culture with our distinctive offering. The area's small-town Midwest feel, combined with its vibrant downtown district, offers the ideal setting for our next chapter.” 

Damn Good Hospitality’s portfolio includes Warren, Revolution Live, The Backyard, Stache Drinking Den, DG Events and Damn Good Sweets. 

This article originally appeared on sister site BusinessObserverFL.com.