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“Today, customer service is a lost art, but it’s not gone at Wright’s at all. Byron Viteri, the baker at Wright’s, has been there for 32 years, starting shortly after he arrived in Tampa from Ecuador and before he learned English. Cake decorator Rosa Manzanero has 21 years seniority at Wright’s. Her favorite cake is the Alpine, a yellow cake with thick chocolate frosting and white chocolate shavings on top. When the pandemic forced Wright’s to close, Mount kept his workers on the payroll. He continues to offer health care, a retirement plan and Sundays and holidays off.
Catering
Turner started working at Wright’s several years ago, hired in December, the team’s busiest month of the year. While the business has remained a Tampa institution, Mount said it has evolved, along with its owner. Mount’s grandmother, Marjorie Coggins, and her husband, Pete Wright, had opened Wright’s as a gourmet shop in 1963.
Shop
We are here to spread some homemade happiness and a piece of joy with every slice of cake. He coaches other employees in the same way, helping to cross-train staffers to handle a variety of responsibilities behind and in front of the customer counters. Wright’s Gourmet House is one of the most beloved restaurants in Tampa. It’s equally praised for its big sandwiches and charming desserts, and on April 20 it celebrates 61 years in the city. Now, we can say “yes” to much more than before, with private event space for banquets, business meetings and parties, in addition to our thriving catering and delivery business.
Save room for the legendary Alpine Cake
But his vision changed as he gained more experience as a business owner. Today, he prefers that Wright’s honor the legacy of his grandparents and his family tree rather than branch out too far. “She knew from the start that she wanted to sell sandwiches,” said Mount of his grandmother. Today, Wright’s sells 200,000 sandwiches a year, along with some 40,000 of its celebrated three-layer cakes.
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“Widely imitated, our Beef Martini could never be duplicated! In 1981, Jeff Mount purchased Wright’s from his grandparents and has been carrying on their legacy for over 40 years. At the time, Wright’s offered only take-out and had a staff of just eight. Today, Wright’s has a staff of 60, and has grown its South Tampa landmark location to seat 225. It’s the fourth version of Wright’s since its inception in 1963. Wright’s care for the community has come right back to the business, like during the Great Recession when Mount says dine-in and takeout sales actually grew.
The Wright’s Experience
“One of the most delicious things that I have ever put in my mouth from there is their pumpkin gingerbread cake, which they make in November and December.” That’s what she will be ordering for her 87th birthday in December. He tried a variety of business models from opening nights and weekends to selling hot meals. But his staff of 50 employees is the backbone of his business. “In 1976 my grandmother and my sister, Mindy, created this delicious sandwich,” writes the owner on the menu.
Mount bought the business in 1980 for $100,000, making monthly payments. He also agreed to pay his grandparents $100 each per week — and that’s what kept him focused. Jeff Mount was still an English major at the University of Florida when he came home to Tampa and told his grandmother he wanted to buy the family business, Wright’s Gourmet House. The cafe deli has been serving the city of Tampa since 1963. Over 1,000 patrons have left reviews of their experiences here, with more than 800 of those reviews acting as a perfect 5 stars. In 2019, TripAdvisor regarded it was one of the very best restaurants in Tampa and the entire state of Florida.
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“There’s a part of this business that sees people as instruments but that didn’t work for me because I have learned over time that you can’t run this big of an operation and this complicated of an operation without longtime employees,” he said. What put Wright’s on the map originally was the Beef Martini Sandwich. Nearly 60 years later, it’s still a proverbial crowd pleaser. With rare roast beef, mushrooms marinated in white wine and crisp bacon slices with Wright’s own garlic and herb spread on buttercrust white bread. We’ve taken tremendous pride in the food we serve for nearly 60 years. We work with the finest, freshest ingredients to deliver an experience that’s second to none.
Children’s Sandwiches
He indeed pulled it off, maintaining Wright’s position as a South Tampa landmark throughout his 37-year tenure as owner and guiding it through two expansions, the latest and largest coming in 2017. The Alpine Cake seems to be the common denominator for many 5-star reviews. It’s a simple vanilla cake with a generous amount of chocolate frosting coated with white chocolate flakes on top. It’s baked with love, like you’re enjoying a slice at your grandparents home. The Tampa community enthusiastically spread the word about the Wright’s experience, brought their friends and kept coming back for their favorites, from the Golden Gate and Beef Martini sandwiches to our special mustard sauce, cakes and pies in the decades since. While his focus for now is on Cuban sandwiches and alpine cake, Mount is a fan of the Columbia Restaurant Group model of a variety of unique dining concepts and is mulling over a potential new restaurant or two.
We can prepare your order for your group to pick up here in the market, or we can conveniently deliver it to your home, office or just about any other location throughout Tampa and nearby communities. Though the company now owns the two buildings that make up Wright’s, Mount says the restaurant’s piecemeal growth was due to its renter status. Mount’s grandparents, Marjorie and Pete Wright, opened the shop in 1963 and sold it to their grandson in 1981, when Mount was just 21. “When we were quarantined he kept us informed and asked for ideas and he made the process of coming back very safe and comfortable,” staffer Korinna Turner said of her boss.
Their commitment to quality helped Wright’s create some of the best unique and specialty sandwiches in town. They even had a German baker develop special dough for them and bake it in a big, round pan calling it Bucket Bread, which is used on almost all Wright’s sandwiches to this day. And while Bucket Bread sandwiches have often been imitated, they’ve never been duplicated. Today, Wright’s is widely recognized for its mouthwatering sandwiches, selling hundreds every day. Whether celebrating or simply getting down to business, Wright’s offers assorted sandwich platters, extravagant dessert platters, party salads, lunch boxes, breakfast trays and much more. Traditions, even virtual, are best served with a sweet treat.
It’s also famous for its decadent cakes and desserts, which weren’t part of the menu back in 1963. Wright’s Gourmet House first opened its doors on April 20, 1963, the vision of Marjorie and Pete Wright who saw the need for a gourmet shop in Tampa. They had lots of ambition and sought to be the best by offering the best. The original restaurant was located in a tiny storefront with second-hand equipment, and offered imported and domestic delicacies, fresh coffees and teas, exotic spices, unusual cheeses, fresh-roasted meats and big wheel sandwiches. Cupcakes, sheet cake, or our signature layered cakes (Alpine, Chocolate, Carrot, Red Velvet, Hawaiian Princess, Lemon, Coconut, Peanut Butter Chocolate, Rum)… And if it’s too much for now, slice it up, freeze it and save it for later. While she likes their strawberry cakes, Knight has a favorite.
That’s why Wright’s uses its own fleet of temperature-controlled vehicles to ensure your food is as fresh as possible when it arrives. We are proud to say we’re one of the few in this area who have made this investment in equipment to take care of your health and well-being. Perhaps the most interesting thing about Wright’s recent expansion is that it bucks the industry-wide trend of restaurants shrinking in response to higher demand for takeout. That’s nothing new for Wright’s, Mount says, where off-premises dining — takeout and catering — has always made up about 80 percent of the business. Instead, Mount saw the expanded seating and production space as a chance to embrace the community even more. Originally, Mount wanted to put a Wright’s Gourmet House on every corner in Tampa.
It’s the little things we do right – from how we season and roast our top round of beef to our signature sauces and outrageous desserts, all baked in house. Please note that the earlier you place your order, the better. During peak holiday season, delivery slots fill up weeks beforehand so be sure to call as soon as possible to reserve your delivery. Customers have the option of reserving a delivery time, and then following up at a later date with their order. Our commitment to serving you the freshest food possible is second to none.
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