Cousin Vinny's plans St. Pete expansion

Cousin Vinny’s Sandwich Co. said this month it plans to cross Tampa Bay and open a St. Petersburg location, extending a Tampa sandwich business that won a Michelin Guide recommendation after opening its first brick-and-mortar shop. Local reports said the company has signed a lease for space on Central Avenue in St. Pete’s Grand Central District. The reports did not give a firm opening date, but said the shop is expected to open by the end of 2026. Michelin’s guide lists Cousin Vinny’s Tampa restaurant at 1331 W. Cass St. and includes it in the 2025 Florida selection. ### Where is the new St. Petersburg location supposed to go? St. Pete Rising reported on May 6 that Cousin Vinny’s is preparing to open at 2063 Central Avenue in St. Petersburg. The outlet said the company would take over the former Little Philly space in the Grand Central District, a commercial corridor west of downtown. (guide.michelin.com) A Tampa Bay Business Journal report published the same day said the St. Petersburg deal is a seven-year lease. That report described the site as the first step in a broader Florida growth plan. ### What has the company said about the move? AJ DeSimone, identified by St. Pete Rising as a partner, said the company sees St. (stpeterising.com) Petersburg as its next market but not as an extension of Tampa. “Opening a second location in St. Pete seems like the natural progression of a restaurant that starts in Tampa,” DeSimone told the publication, adding that the company viewed St. Pete as “a completely different market.” (bizjournals.com) DeSimone also said the company wanted to join the local community rather than replicate Tampa’s identity across the bay. That comment is the clearest public explanation so far of how the owners are describing the expansion. ### Why are local reports calling it Michelin-recommended? The Michelin Guide lists Cousin Vinny’s Sandwich Co. in Tampa as a recommended restaurant in its 2025 U.S. selection for Florida. (stpeterising.com) Michelin’s listing says the restaurant serves Italian-American food and highlights sandwiches including tomato and mozzarella on house-made schiacciata and the Tony Piccante chicken cutlet sandwich. Michelin’s inspector notes also identify the business as a casual shop in Tampa’s NoHo neighborhood and name Vincent “Vinny” Andriotti among the co-owners. The guide says the restaurant is at 1331 W. Cass St. in Tampa. ### How did Cousin Vinny’s get to this point? St. Pete Rising reported that DeSimone, Russell “Cuz” Leone, Vincent “Vinny” Andriotti and Jake Schmidt started the concept as a ghost kitchen in 2023 on Nebraska Avenue in Tampa. (guide.michelin.com) The publication said the business operated a few days a week with online ordering and pickup before moving into a permanent storefront. The same report said the brick-and-mortar Tampa location opened last year in the NoHo area. Within months, the shop received Michelin Guide recognition, according to the report and Michelin’s listing. ### Is St. Petersburg the only expansion plan? Tampa Bay Business Journal reported that the St. (stpeterising.com) Petersburg lease is part of a plan to reach 10 locations across Florida by 2029. Another local item, summarized in syndicated coverage, said the company also plans a South Tampa location. Those reports did not provide signed addresses for every future site. (stpeterising.com) They did, however, point to a multi-unit expansion rather than a single second store. ### What happens next, and when? May 6 is the clearest public date tied to the St. Petersburg project, because that is when local outlets began reporting the lease and location. (bizjournals.com) St. Pete Rising said the Grand Central District restaurant is expected to debut by the end of 2026, while WFLA’s local segment on May 14 said the company is planning the St. Petersburg expansion without giving a firm opening day. For now, the next concrete milestone is the build-out of 2063 Central Ave. in St. Petersburg. Cousin Vinny’s existing Michelin-listed Tampa shop remains open at 1331 W. Cass St. while the company works toward the second location. (guide.michelin.com) (stpeterising.com)