By Sharon Still
Internet slang terms like LOL (laugh out loud), ROTFL (rolling on the floor laughing) and IDK (I don’t know) are now making its way into mainstream society as two new area restaurants are using that concept with a twist to attract diners.
Outback Steakhouse co-founder Bob Basham teamed up with MVP Holdings CEO Nick Reader in the past few years to develop PDQ, which stands for People Dedicated to Quality, and now the duo is launching WTF, Wow! That’s Fresh.
The first ever Wow! That’s Fresh is under construction at 1426 W. Brandon Blvd. with a tentative opening date for the 4,000 sq. ft. restaurant scheduled for late September or early October.
Chief Marketing and Public Relations Officer Jeff Kamis explained that there are several reasons why Brandon has been chosen as the introductory location for the Wow! That’s Fresh.
“Wow! That’s Fresh will be a very community-driven restaurant,” he said. “The Brandon area is a great area with a very tight knit community. Brandon is also very pro-development and business-friendly and we are excited to be a part of that.”
The restaurant will bring 60 or more jobs to the area.
Wow! That’s Fresh will specialize in burgers, pizzas and salads, all made fresh, on-site. Patrons can choose to dine-in, take-out or drive-thru. There will be seating for about 120. The basic concept is quality food, quickly and at a good price.
Basham and Reader’s second restaurant is PDQ, People Dedicated to Quality, a fast casual restaurant specializing in fresh hand-battered chicken tenders, made-to-order sandwiches, daily cut fries, hand-spun milkshakes and fresh salads. A Riverview location is scheduled to open this summer and construction is underway on a Brandon location at 134 S. Gornto Lake Rd., the former site of Buddy Freddy’s.
The 4,300 sq. ft. restaurant with a seating for about 120, a drive-thru and an outside patio/sunroom is scheduled to open in September and will employ about 75 team members. Both restaurants will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.
Kamis explained that the naming of the two restaurants is based on developing a name that people will remember. “While PDQ stands for ‘People Dedicated to Quality,’ customers are now calling it “Pretty Darn Quick’,” he said.
He added that people will come up with their own nicknames for Wow! That’s Fresh as the restaurant evolves.
For more information about PDQ, visit www.eatpdq.com.
