Richard Gonzmart is bringing back the burger joint he loved as a child.
"I loved the hamburger. It's a real hamburger," Gonzmart said back in 2014. "The hamburgers with the POX, pickles, onion, and sauce."
That sauce. Even when he grew older Gonzmart enjoyed it. He would stop at the Goody Goody located on Florida Avenue every Saturday, grabbing a bag of burgers to take home to his family.
Gonzmart, the co-owner of the Columbia Restaurant Group, even tried to re-create the "secret sauce" himself.
"Came close but never quite right," Gonzmart said.
In 2006, Goody Goody closed for good, bringing an end to a Tampa tradition. It was the city's first drive-in restaurant opening in the 1920s.
For years Gonzmart wanted to bring back the iconic restaurant.
"From the time they closed I contacted them and they just laughed at me," Gonzmart said. "I said you can't look at what it is or what you think it is. We've got to go back in time and try to recreate what was 1925."
In 2014 he finally got his wish. He purchased the right to the Goody Goody name, the famous Goody Goody sign, its tables and even how to make the secret sauce he's loved for decades.
"I've got the recipe. I've got the recipe for all their great pies," Gonzmart said.
At 7 o'clock Tuesday morning, Goody Goody's revival comes full circle when the restaurant opens at its new location in Hyde Park Village.
Gonzmart is excited to bring the restaurant back to life. He hopes people who enjoyed Goody Goody in the past will be able to recreate memories while creating new ones for generations to come.
The new Goody Goody Burgers restaurant is located at 1601 West Swann Avenue in Tampa. It will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hours are: 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays, and 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Website: goodygoodyburgers.com
