October 9, 2017 – The afternoon restaurant has opened on NE 10th Ave. This lunch stop is serving a mid-day meal with a brunch attitude. Co-Owner Grace Gannon has just relocated back to Gainesville from Seattle and is excited about showing Gainesville how they do food on the NW coast. The fast casual approach to lunch with counter service, locally sourced products and several teas and coffees including black, green and herbal tea, and Panther drip coffee, and Tea-Project Hot teas selections from Seattle.  Afternoon Entrees are available with a meatless attitude including Whipped Feta Toast, and White Corn Grits. Meat proteins are available to add to your meal as extras. There another six entrees including several sandwiches and the Shakshouka -- tomato baked eggs, za'atar, and sourdough toast. The brunch/lunch stop is open every day except Wednesday from 9-4:00

Shula's American Steakhouse opens on SW 34th St.

Gainesville now has a steakhouse serving lunch seven days a week from 11:30-2:00 on SW 34th St in the University of Florida Hilton Conference Center, 1714 SW 34th St. Founded by Miami Dolphins football coaching legend Don in 1989, and today encompasses several restaurant brands with nearly 30 locations spanning nine states Shula's presents a complete lunch menu including appetizers, Lunch Salads and Knife and Fork sandwiches including the French Onion Burger with caramelized onions, double Gruyère cheese, garlic herb mayo and crushed croutons on a brioche style bun ($15). The complete steak menu is available at lunch. FOLLOW THIS LINK for a complete Shula's menu.

Big Mill's Cheesesteak opens on NW 13th St.

September 25, 2017 – There is a new cheesesteak and hot dog stand at 2111 NW 13th St. Next to Adam's Rib Co. You have one week left for their September special of a Big Mill's Chicago Style Cheesesteak for $8.75. Big Mill's Cheesesteaks is all about carnivores, and meat proteins. With hot dogs, sausage subs, and cheesesteak subs, both steak or chicken. Chicago native Keith Miller has been selling his sandwiches on game days and he decided it was time to give Big Mill's 100 per cent of his attention. With a menu featuring cheesesteak sub sandwiches you can try the BM Cheesesteak in either angus sirloin beef, or chicken breast. The menu includes four kinds of sausage sandwiches including a combo steak and sausage sub. In addition to hot dogs Big Mills also serves a hamburger, meatball sub and three salads. Open Monday – Saturday at 11:00 FOLLOW THIS LINK for a complete Big Mill's Cheesesteaks menu

August 22, 2017 – Dave's New York Deli has opened a second location, Dave's NY Deli Express at the corner of Tower Road and Archer road in the Park Lane Plaza next to Dominos Pizza.. The new deli serves the same NY Bagels, Opus Coffee, Pastrami, Corned Beef, hot and cold subs, sandwiches and more as the Dave's NY Deli in Tioga Town Center on Newberry Rd. Both restaurants are open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch, 7:30 to 3:00 M-F and 8:30-3:00 Saturday and Sunday.

1 Pizza Plus opens on NW 23rd Ave

August 10, 2017 – 1 Pizza Plus has opened for business in the building that formerly housed Lisa's Corner Café on NW 23rd Ave. near Salvation Army. In addition to 16 different specialty pizzas, whole pies, and pizza by the slice, the menu includes The menu includes pastas, baked chicken wings, toasted and cold sub sandwiches, and six different made-to-order salads. 1PP is open Monday thru Saturday from 11 am - 8 pm. The Owner, Mike Case, who formerly owned I LOVE NY Pizza, has plans in the works to sell beer and to create a mozzarella bar at a later date.

Tropical Smoothie opens 2nd location

August 4, 2017 - The Tropical Smoothie Café at 4125 NW 16th Blvd. will open its doors today with a Grand Opening starting at 7:00 this morning. Free samples, giveaways and a free smoothies for a year will be available for the first 50 customers Friday morning. TSC owner Dhairya Chaudhari is opening his second Tropical Smoothie franchise with the first located South of Archer Rd. at 3345 SW 34th St. Primarily a dessert stop TSC serves a varied menu of wraps, sandwiches, flatbreads, bowls and salads. A savory smoothie is available in the Avocolada consisting of avocado, pineapple, spinach, kale, coconut & lime as well as the Watermelon Mojito. Open seven days at 7:00 in the morning serving a light breakfast menu. FOLLOW THIS LINK for more information.

Wood fired pizza moves into Cairo Grill buidling

August 4, 2017 - Another artisan pizza shop has opened on NW 43rd St. in the old Cairo Grille restaurant building. Rising from the food truck ashes Ameraucana wood fired pizza ls now serving what they describe as "PRE-INDUSTRIAL STYLE WILD YEAST SOURDOUGH PIZZA" in their new restaurant at 2410 NW 43rd St. Currently Ameraucana serves appetizers they call Small Plates that includes salads, meatball, and Marinated Olives with Burnt Citrus & Rosemary. Three desserts are available and six pizzas starting at $10. The Fromage A Trois pizza caught the GLOB Master's eye with Fior Di Latte, Gorgonzola, Parmesan, thinly sliced red onions, Fresh oregano, olive oil. pancetta, and other additional toppings. Open Tuesday – Saturday beginning at 5:00, lunch hour plans will be discussed at a later date. FOLLOW THIS LINK for more information.

Bahama Breeze opens in Butler Plaza

July 26, 2017 – The Caribbean islands have opened for lunch in Butler Plaza world Mon'. Located at 3989 Plaza Blvd. This big box lunch stop -- with 43 plus locations in 13 states – opens the door to tropical island cuisine in SW Gainesville. Drinks with parasols, an every day lunch special, and a menu with 40 plus entrees including Appetizers. Snacks & Small Plates. Soups, Side Salads, Entree Salads, Steak & Beef, Pork, Seafood, Rice Bowls, Chicken, Burgers, Tacos, Sandwiches, Lunch Combos, Fresh Catches. Appetizers. Snacks & Small Plates. Soups, Side Salads, Entree Salads, Steak & Beef, Pork, Seafood, Rice Bowls, Chicken, Burgers, Tacos, Sandwiches, Lunch Combos, Fresh Catches, await your mealtime delight. A dessert menu with seven choices, and a kid's menu category featuring seven selections including hamburgers, Mac 'n Cheese, and chicken tenders are also available. Bahama Breeze has live music in the evenings, handcrafted island cocktails, happy hour drink specials Mon.- Fri, from 4 – 6:00. A late night happy hour continues the evening Sun. – Thurs. from 9:00 to closing with beer, wine, cocktails, and premium Tequilas. Now GLOBer. Is that big box enough for you? FOLLOW THIS LINK for more Bahama Breeze information I might I have missed.

Electric Ramen Opens on NE 23rd Avenue

May 1, 2017: Is Gainesville big enough for two soup shops GLOBers? Electric Ramen on NW 23rd Avenue -- in the former The Jones location at 401 NE 23rd Ave thinks so with their lunch time soup & noodle cafe now open Monday - Saturday 11-3 pm. Still in the formative stages, Electric Ramen is offering a limited menu:
Shoyu Ramen with Pork, $7.99
shoyu (soy sauce) based broth, dashi (fish broth), pork, soft egg, scallions
Vegetarian Ramen, 7.99
miso based broth, tofu, soft egg, scallions
Steamed Bun with Pork or Tofu, $3.25
   pork or tofu, hoisin sauce, pickled cucumber, scallions

Keke's Breakfast Cafe opens in Butler Plaza

April 24, 2017: Keke's Breakfast Café in Butler Plaza, at 4062 Plaza Blvd. With 26 locations, this franchisee generator is open and serving lunch and breakfast every day from 7- 2:20. Keke's menu lists 10 paninis, 5 burgers, and 9 wraps including an Italian Chicken Panini: Chicken breast, pesto sauce, roasted red pepper and provolone cheese (8.99), a Turkey Burger: One-third pound turkey burger on toasted ciabatta bread with your choice of toppings (7.99), and a Portabella wrap: Grilled Portabella, pesto sauce, roasted red pepper, provolone and romaine (8.49). The Keke's lunch menu also includes 8 salads including the Tuna Salad and Fresh Fruit: Tuna Salad, strawberry, banana, blueberry, grape & orange slices on romaine (9.99). Keke's is open every day and you can FOLLOW THIS LiNK for breakfast and lunch menus that have more entrees than you than you can shake a strip of crisp, crunchy bacon at.

Warehouse Restaurant & lounge reopens for lunch

April 3, 2017: Downtown's Warehouse Restaurant & Lounge is one once again open for lunch. Located in the new, and growing Power District South of downtown Gainesville. This multi cuisine restaurant now serves lunch, dinner and drinks from a menu of salads, seafood, pork, and poultry with daily specials.

IT'S HERO'S NOT HOGAN'S! Since the GLOB's outset seven years ago the GLOB Master has enjoyed saying, "there are 243 places to eat lunch in Gainesville." That statement makes it a tough task of keeping track of all the openings, and closing that happen each and every month. And that's not even talking about name changes, and lunch stops that sneak up, open for business without any kind of public notice.

The GLOB worldwide offices received a nice comment from Heros 'Great Sandwiches' owner Aaron Newbold about our failure to mention the Hogan's heroes sub shop on SW 34th St. changed owners over a year ago and is now HEROS 'Great Sandwiches':

"The owner of Hogan's a year ago April 18 sold me 34th location and I renamed Heros and have tried to become my own entity while also showing where I was inspired from by keeping a lot of the things that makes Hogan's so great. " - READ MORE.

Thanks for the wakeup call Aaron. I love your sandwiches, and tomato crowns!

Downtown adds three new restaurants

Just like that three new restaurants have opened in 2017 and they are all available, downtown lunch stops:

Celebrity's Soul Seafood, 201 SE 2nd Ave #101, Downtown. Located behind next to Mark's Prime Steakhouse, this neck bones-and-rice lunch stop also serves chicken wings, and fried chicken. A veritable smorgasbord of traditional Southern food, this is the third restaurant opening for owners Fredrick and Taja Jacobs. The first was opened in California and the 3rd is ... in Ft White of all places!

China Garden, Gainesville Shopping Center, 1216 N. Main St. Just south of the Main Street Publix, Café Gardens owner Fiona Liangfoiny is serving a complete Chinese menu with $5.49 lunch specials served with fried rice from 10:30 am to 3 pm. The menu also includes a $7.49 Dinner Special, House Combination Specials, and a diet menu, all dishes available for take-out or in-house dining.

Flaming Subs, Gainesville Shopping Center, 1122.N. Main St.  Not a lot has changed in this poplar lunch time sub shop except ownership and the new name. Open from 10 am to 4 pm, Flaming Subs serves the same menu of salads and hot and cold sub sandwiches as Larry's Giant Subs.

December 16, 2017 - Three new restaurants have recently opened including a sandwich shop, a vegan restaurant, and a golf course café:

With outdoor seating and a drive-through pickup window, Piper Gi's will be open starting with lunch from 11 am -3 pm and other times. Piper at 204 SW 2nd Ave.  According to owner Tommy Newman the former Wholly BBQ location next to the High Dive will be run with his wife, Shanti Aura Riesch-Newman, and brother-in-law, Jacob Riesch, with combined experience as chefs for several notable Gainesville restaurants including Manuel's Vintage Room, Emiliano's Cafe, and Napalanto's. FOLLOW THIS LINK for more information.

Curia On the Drag, 2029 NW 6th Street, has opened a vegan café to complement their coffee shop and wine bar. Serving lunch, dinner, drinks, and coffee, Curia presents a complete vegan menu. Including mac 'n cheese, jackfruit, fish-less tacos, and many more plant-based entrees. The three-building location also touts domestic and imported beer, sparkling wines, happy hour, board games, and entertainment. FOLLOW THIS LINK for a complete Curia menu

Divot's Café & Banquet has opened in the Meadow Brook Golf Club on 3200 NW 98th and NW 39th Ave. Lisa's Corner Café owner and manager, Lisa Freeze, has jumped across town to accommodate lunch outers and golf enthusiasts with a $7 Cheeseburger and French fry specials and a varied menu of sandwiches, salads, wraps, and hot entrees

Butler Plaza opens new lunch stops

Tuesday, December 6, 2016 – The Longhorn Steakhouse returns after several years to Gainesville at 2933 Clark Butler Blvd with more steaks than you shake a prime cut at. Featuring 100% grade A beef in over 30 different combinations, entrees with chicken and salmon, and salads and burgers. FOLLOW THIS LINK for more information.

Culver's, a restaurant that features "butterburgers" and frozen custard for dessert has opened in Butler Plaza at 912 NW 56 Terr. In 1984, George and Ruth Culver had the idea for a restaurant no one could resist: a combination of his "love for his mom's homemade hamburgers with his favorite childhood treat." Four flavors of frozen custard are offered each day with over 30 mix-ins and toppings. In addition to dessert, the menu also includes fried Wisconsin cheese curds, salads, chicken and fish sandwiches, and dinner entres and kids' meals. Culver's is open from 10 am to 11 pm Sunday through Thursday and 10 am to midnight Friday and Saturday. FOLLOW THIS LINK for more information.

Jersey Mike's Subs touting 'east coast style' sub sandwiches Jersey Mike's  has opened a second location in Gainesville at at 2803 SW 42nd Street in Butler Plaza. Franchise owners Angelo and Kimberly Crowell own two Jersey Mike's in Tallahassee. Jersey Mike's is open from 10 am to 9 pm 7 days a week. This nationwide franchise has over 750 locations, the first having been established on the New Jersey shore in 1956. FOLLOW THIS LINK for more information.