Armature Works, Tampa’s waterfront food hall, begins offering outdoor seating

Armature Works, we’ve missed you dearly. The expansive food hall and events venue in Tampa Heights is one of the most bustling social hubs in the entire city. Its waterfront location offers excelsior views and its placement on the Riverwalk makes it easily accessible. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, those behind the concept made the responsible decision to temporarily close on March 16. In late April, officially reopened for takeout.

On May 6, Armature Works continued the reopening process by offering minimal outdoor seating on their lawn and pier. Visitors can pick up curbside to-go items from the East entrance and enjoy the scenery from their outdoor areas. 

The Armature Works team is hard at work planning the safest possible way to execute this partial reopening.

“Expect to find tables 6ft apart, reduced seating, elevated sanitation practices, one-way walkways and much more,” wrote officials in a Facebook post. “Things might look a little different for a while, and that’s ok. We’re excited to get back in the swing of things in phases ensuring the health and safety of our patrons, and our staff.”

“After four plus weeks of full closure we are very happy to allow our vendors the opportunity to now use their kitchens for both takeout and delivery, with very strict guidelines,” said Chas Bruck, Co-Developer for The Heights District and Armature Works. “We fully appreciate and understand how much our vendors have needed this opportunity, but we felt it was more important at the time to close in a proactive effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. Further, the last four weeks have allowed us to research and observe best practices to better ensure the safety of our guests, employees and vendors.”

Tampa Heights’ food hub offering delivery

This initiative will specifically allow the vendors within the Heights Public Market at Armature Works to utilize their kitchens for food preparation for both curbside takeout and delivery.

We’re especially excited for the return of Union by Commune + Co. The coffee shop just launched a new t-shirt, with all proceeds from sales going to employees who have lost income.

Below is the current list of participating vendors and their respective start dates:

Thursday, April 16

• Astro Ice Cream Co. (Ice Cream) – www.AstroCraftIceCream.com
• Ava (Authentic Wood Fired Pizza) – www.AvaTampa.com
• Butcher N’ Barbeque (Barbecue, sides and more) – www.ButcherAndBBQ.com
• Kuba, previously know as Hemingway’s (Modern Cuban Cuisine) – www.KubaCocina.com
• Union by Commune + Co. (Coffee and Tea Bar) – www.CommuneAndCo.com
• Zukku Sushi (Sushi, Burritos and Bowls) – www.ZukkuSushi.com

Monday, April 20

• Dixie Dharma (Plant Based Vittles) – www.DixieDharma.com
• Ichicoro Imoto (Contemporary Ramen-Ya) – www.Ichicoro.com

Armature Works adds guidelines for vendors

Each will be open Monday through Sunday, 11am through 8:30pm. You can find ordering details by visiting any of the restaurant’s websites.

Armature Works has put out specific guidelines each restaurant/vendor has to adhere to while they operate.

The safety and sanitation initiatives will include, but not be limited to the following:

• Online ordering only
• Cleaning and sanitation of all contact areas within stalls and market
• Use of disposable gloves
• Use of hand sanitizers
• Use of facemasks
• Social distancing throughout the entire market
• Limited number or touchpoints between order preparation & delivery
• Curbside pickup (North Ola Ave East Entry) and placement of order inside your vehicle
• Required temperature readings for all employees entering the building
• Commitment from employees to adhere to all guidelines away from Armature Works

Keep up with everything going on at Armature Works by following them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.