As Hyde Park Village evolves, Forbici Italian restaurant is fighting to stay
WS Development, the landlord behind Hyde Park Village, filed an eviction against the owners of Forbici Modern Italian in April. The restaurant has occupied the space at 1633 W Snow Ave. since 2019.
In the complaint, the landlord claims that Forbici has added more seats to the dining area than is allowed under its lease. The landlord is demanding that Forbici vacate the building and pay more than $800,000 in damages.
In court filings, Forbici's owners argued that Hyde Park Village approved of and encouraged the expanded seating. They claim that the landlord 'believes that the lease is below market rate and/or that it may otherwise economically benefit from terminating the lease.'
Jeff Gigante is the owner of Next Level Brands, the hospitality group behind Forbici. He said he couldn't comment on the arguments made in the lawsuit, but that he is working with WS Development to amend the lease and keep Forbici in Hyde Park Village. This may involve reducing the number of seats.
'I think we've found a happy compromise to move forward, resolve all the issues at hand,' he said.
WS Development declined to comment.
Hyde Park Village is in the midst of transition. In the past few years the upscale south Tampa shopping and dining destination said goodbye to tenants like The Wine Exchange – which had been in business for more than 30 years – and Goody Goody – a century-old burger joint that was revived by owner Richard Gonzmart.
For Goody Goody, it was Gonzmart's choice to close the business. But WS Development did not give wine exchange the option to renew its lease.
'Part of what makes Hyde Park Village so special is that it is ever evolving and we're excited to bring forth the next chapter of what the community has been asking of us,' Alexandra Clark, the chief operating officer of WS Development told the Tampa Bay Times at the time of the Wine Exchange's closure.
Recent additions to Hyde Park Village including Palihouse – a boutique hotel; Home – a members-only social lounge; and Jekyll – a speakeasy hidden behind a bagel shop, are attracting a new kind of customer.
Last year, WS Development filed plans with the city of Tampa to overhaul the block that was previously occupied by Pottery Barn and the women's boutique Kittenish. Those businesses have since closed. It is unclear what will replace them.
Gigante said WS Development is 'very selective' when it comes to choosing tenants for Hyde Park Village. He said his company underwent extensive negotiations to secure a spot for Forbici.
'Hyde Park is a very hot entity and anyone would want to go there,' he said. 'That's why we want to maintain Forbici.'
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