Frankie’s, the fast food joint that used to be right across the street from campus, was notorious for its hot dogs and chocolate shakes. Last semester, Frankie’s closed, leaving an empty parking lot to stand on the corner of W. Kennedy Boulevard and N. Boulevard Street and leaving students wondering what happened.
I was pleased to see a new restaurant, The Outpost, move into the space when I returned at the beginning of this fall semester. Mike Diogostine, owner of the former Frankie’s and what is now The Outpost, is excited with the restaurant’s transformation and looks forward to expanding the UT customer base.
“We wanted to create a place where people could watch the games and hang out now, especially with the new stadium coming in,” Diogostine, a UT alum, said.
Frankie’s had a fast food atmosphere. Customers grabbed their food at the counter then ate without much waiting service. The Outpost, on the other hand, is a sit-down restaurant and sports bar. You can sit down and enjoy your meal, watch a football game on the big screen TVs and take note of the friendly servers.
For a local restaurant, The Outpost is quickly gaining popularity. The bar area is packed on Saturday nights, and the entire floor space is crowded with people sitting at the high-top tables. Chattering sports fans root for their favorite college football teams as they sip their beers until closing time at 3 a.m. The Outpost would be a fitting spot to enjoy game days throughout the rest of football season.
A nice selection of appetizers are available which could easily double as meals themselves. Appetizers range from typical bar food such as onion wings and fries to healthier picks such as hummus, and the portions are big enough to feed a full table of people.
As for entrées, there is a wide selection of wings and burgers along with sandwiches, wraps and salads. The sandwiches are bigger than the ones served at UT’s Ultimate Dining cafeteria, but I still finished mine and didn’t find the need for a to-go box. Also, The Outpost gives you all the sandwich fixings. I ordered the Pulled Pork Cuban Sandwich, and the bread could barely hold in all the contents. It was packed with meat and tangy mustard sauce. It reminded me of the authentic Cuban sandwiches that can be found throughout Tampa. It wasn’t as comparable to the real thing, but it was still delicious.
The jumbo chicken wings were messy and full of meat, just the way wings should be done. The Outpost also offers a special deal on wings during their happy hour from 4-7 p.m. every day. Wings are just 50 cents each if you dine in.
The burgers come in many flavors. They aren’t just plain cheeseburgers. The El Cubano is similar to the Pulled Pork Cuban sandwich but has a juicy burger patty thrown in, and the Barn House burger is topped with onion rings. Another unique choice, the “SCOOTER,” glazes pineapple over the top of the burger. Most of the menu items, even these burgers, stay within the typical college student’s price range.
The menu is also stocked with dessert items. There is a strong selection of fried desserts and several that incorporate Oreos such as the Fried Oreo Sundae with vanilla ice cream and deep fried Oreos topped with chocolate and caramel sauce. This sundae might even convert some new chocolate lovers. If you truly don’t like chocolate, the Funnel Fries which is funnel cake shaped like french fries covered in salted caramel and powdered sugar might fulfill your sugary needs.
Some students who visited Frankie’s often may not know what to think about The Outpost, but I encourage fans of Frankie’s to check out Diogostine’s new restaurant.
“Frankie’s had really good hot dogs, but The Outpost has a wider variety of food than I remember Frankie’s having,” Alyssa Kane, a junior education major, said.
Diogostine hopes that The Outpost will become an after-game hotspot for UT foodies.
As one of Diogostine’s former UT professors once told him: “To be successful you need to learn to work on your business not in your business.” And he certainly runs his business by this
Alyssa Hingre can be reached at alyssa.hingre@spartans.ut.edu