Tampa hosts a variety of restaurants that cater to everyone’s taste buds, and a new addition has been added to the repertoire: the Flying Pan. Located right down the street from campus on West Kennedy Boulevard, the Flying Pan offers quality food at a reasonable price and has been doing quite well ever since it opened its doors over two weeks ago. Not only does the Flying Pan have great food, but it also has an interesting past.
Laurent Gornet, a French businessman, moved to Australia and started a crêperie which is part of a worldwide food chain with locations in France, Australia, Brazil, north Africa and now their very first location in the United States right here in Florida.
“We wanted to choose a state like Florida, which is an interesting state, for headquarters because it has a lot of advantages regarding taxes” Gornet said. “Then, within Florida, our main concern with location was looking for a good testing ground for our food concept.”
The quaint establishment is almost as if Panera and Chipotle fused together, the product being an interesting and fresh concept. The Flying Pan’s menu offers different soups, salads, sandwiches and desserts, but the customer has the opportunity to view the staff prepare their food.
Their specialty is the crêpe, which is basically the French version of a flattened pancake. They incorporate it in their menu as both an entrée and dessert. Your crepe can be filled with different meats, vegetables and cheeses for a savory lunch or with fruit and Nutella for a delicious dessert.
Keep these tasty meals in mind for when you visit the Flying Pan: the Farmhouse, the Croque Monsieur, the Tomato Basil Soup, the Nutella Mania sweet crêpe and the Apple Pie sweet crêpe.
The Farmhouse contains chicken, Monterey jack cheese, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized red onions and dijonnaise in a warm crêpe, and the Croque Monsieur includes turkey, béchamel sauce, Monterey jack cheese under a crusty cheese toast. The Nutella Mania and the Apple Pie are both delicious treats that include ice cream and whipped cream alongside their respective ingredients.
Since the Flying Pan is so close to the University of Tampa, it makes a wonderful breakfast and lunch stop for students.
“We already have UT students as part of our staff,” Gornet said. “I think it’s great because university students are very positive and welcoming and dynamic.”
Not only does the Flying Pan have a large selection of crêpes and Nutella concoctions, but there is also free Wi-Fi and a relaxing environment––just what every college student needs. It’s a nice transition from trying to study in the cafeteria on campus.
“Our concept really has personality, and it reflects in our food and the way the staff interacts with the customers,” Gornet said.
The Flying Pan is open seven days a week from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Xelmarie Medina can be reached at xelmymedina@gmail.com.