Canopy Road Café offers a family and community-centered atmosphere at its restaurants. With locations in FishHawk, in Brandon on Causeway Boulevard and a third location on Bloomingdale Avenue in Winthrop on the way, co-owner Chris Johnson stays busy while helping run his neighborhood café off Fishhawk Crossing Boulevard alongside his wife and kids.
Johnson’s wife, Jessie, has an extensive business background that allows her to support Canopy Road’s FishHawk restaurant while Johnson balances his time between the FishHawk and Brandon stores. Johnson’s kids have even asked to pitch in too by helping their parents roll silverware when they aren’t in school.
“I do like to teach them this is where it all comes from. You’ve got to work for it,” Johnson said. “It’s a family affair at the FishHawk location.”
Canopy Road Café FishHawk fosters a strong community feel with several regulars and neighbors frequenting the café. Johnson said he loves his neighborhood’s location near Publix at FishHawk Ranch because he runs into his customers around town and can focus on building relationships.
“It definitely has more of the family feel. We get families in here because it is a family neighborhood. … It’s all family,” Johnson said.
Canopy Road Café offers both traditional and specialty items for breakfast and lunch, including starters, healthy eats, pancakes and waffles, a variety of eggs, omelets, sandwiches, burgers and much more. It recently released its fall specialty items, including pumpkin spice pancakes, a breakfast Cuban, the ‘Bacon Lovers Bennie’ and the chicken tinga burrito. It will also continue to promote its gift certificate and other giveaways on social media.
The FishHawk location will also feature alcohol soon, including mimosa flights with multiple juice options, wine and beer. Both Johnson and his wife have bartending backgrounds from when they lived in New York, and the addition of alcohol to the menu allows them to expand their offerings to customers.
“It became very evident to me very quick that in this specific neighborhood location, it’s kind of a critical aspect to have to offer to the community,” Johnson said.
At the end of fall, Canopy Road Café will open its third Tampa location at Winthrop Town Centre. The Bloomingdale expansion will be the largest of the cafés in the area and will be the first to feature a full bar.
“It’s who we are. We’re restaurant people to the core. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else,” Johnson said.
Canopy Road Café is open daily from 6:30 a.m.-2:15 p.m. For more information, visit its website at www.canopyroadcafe.com. Canopy Road Café FishHawk is located at 5614 Fishhawk Crossing Blvd. in Lithia in the Publix plaza.
