On a Saturday in July, Damon Fowler played the last show at a 900-square-foot house at 1114 12th St. W. in the Village of the Arts. Dave Shiplett had turned that house into Cottonmouth Southern Soul Food in 2020, with seating indoors and out and live music every week. Fowler's blues-rock set was the farewell.
Two months later, Sage Biscuit Café announced that its downtown location on Manatee Avenue West would close. Before that, Motorworks Brewing had locked the doors of its Ninth Street West taproom. Taken one at a time, each looks like another downtown loss. Taken together, they share a cause. None of them went out because the food stopped working. Each departure started with a lease, a long dispute with neighbors over live music or a loan. In two of the three cases, the kitchen kept cooking at a new address a few minutes away.
A small house couldn't hold the music
Cottonmouth's move started with a dispute over live music. Earlier in 2026, the Bradenton City Council voted unanimously to let the music continue at the Village of the Arts location. Shiplett told the Bradenton Herald the decision hadn't eased the friction. At 67, he decided he didn't want to keep doing it that way.
During the dispute, he had already been trying out food and music at Flamingo Bay Brewing Company, 1910 14th St. W., about half a mile south of the old house. The partnership started with an offer he made to the brewery:
"Hey, listen, if you build a stage and some structures ... where we make this beer garden into something nice, I'll move over here permanently."
That's how Shiplett described his pitch to the Herald in a September roundup of recent restaurant closures. In July, Shiplett told the Herald that Cottonmouth would take a space next door to the brewery, with its own storefront and a connection to the brewery so it could keep food coming for Flamingo Bay's customers.
In July, Shiplett said he hoped to be open full-time by October during Flamingo Bay's Wednesday through Sunday hours. Cottonmouth's website now lists Thursday through Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with no Wednesday hours yet. The music came along. Flamingo Bay's October calendar has live shows, including Tony Carr on Friday, Oct. 16, from 6 to 9 p.m. with food from Cottonmouth.
A ten-year lease ran out on Manatee Avenue
Sage Biscuit's downtown exit was about a building rather than a neighbor. The café posted that its last day at 1401 Manatee Ave. W. would be Sunday, Sept. 27. "Our 10-year lease has come up, and unfortunately the current owner of the building has decided he does not want a restaurant in this space," the post said. Property and Sunbiz records show the building is owned by Savlan Capital, a real estate investment group in Hollywood, Florida, according to the Bradenton Herald. No new tenant or use for the space has been announced.
Sage Biscuit's breakfast didn't disappear. It moved west. The location at 6656 Cortez Road W. stays open every day from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., serving the same menu, and some familiar staff from the downtown café are working there, according to Pulse of Manatee.
The same owners also run The Spotted Rabbit Gastropub at 1830 59th St. W., next to HCA Florida Blake Hospital. It used to be Modern Chop Steakhouse. Its posted menu covers lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 3 to 10 p.m. The owners have announced breakfast there starting Monday, Oct. 5, at 8 a.m. The website hadn't posted a breakfast menu or regular breakfast hours as of this week, so check before you go on the first morning.
The post drew more than 460 reactions, 135 comments and 136 shares by the Monday afternoon after it went up. One commenter called the downtown café "one of my favorite stops downtown."
Motorworks is closed until a new owner steps in
Motorworks Brewing's story is about financing. In May, Seacoast National Bank filed a foreclosure case seeking $1.9 million across four loans the brewery had taken out, according to Manatee County court records. Seacoast later handed its role as plaintiff to 941 Investments LLC, a company formed July 20 and owned by Halsey Beshears. A judge granted him ownership of the mortgage loan.
On Aug. 4, the brewery announced that its taproom at 1014 Ninth St. W. would close right away for an "extensive remodel." "We hope to reopen on February 1, 2027, under new ownership and new management, with a refreshed space and an exciting new chapter ahead," the post said. The Herald's Sept. 10 roundup still described the brewery as temporarily closed with a planned reopening under new ownership. No new operator has been named publicly, and that February date is a goal, not a confirmed opening.
Of the three, Motorworks is the only one with no temporary home. Cottonmouth's food is being served on 14th Street West, and Sage Biscuit's menu is still running on Cortez Road. Ninth Street West has no Motorworks pint until the building gets a new operator.
Where things stand
| Business | Former downtown address | Where to find it now | Status as of Oct. 3, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cottonmouth Southern Soul Food | 1114 12th St. W., Village of the Arts | Flamingo Bay Brewing, 1910 14th St. W. | Open Thu–Sat 5–9 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.–9 p.m. |
| Sage Biscuit Café | 1401 Manatee Ave. W. | 6656 Cortez Road W. | Open daily 7 a.m.–3 p.m.; announced downtown last day Sept. 27 |
| The Spotted Rabbit Gastropub | None; same owners as Sage Biscuit | 1830 59th St. W. | Breakfast announced to start Oct. 5 at 8 a.m. |
| Motorworks Brewing | 1014 Ninth St. W. | Closed for remodel | Hoping to reopen Feb. 1, 2027, under new ownership |
One kitchen moved in
At least one new kitchen opened downtown this year. Au P'tit Bonheur, a French café owned by Fanette Maquet and her husband, Maq, opened this summer at 312 12th St. W. A later Herald roundup lists the address as 312 Old Main St. The menu covers French classics like croque monsieur, quiche Lorraine, the sandwich Parisien and croissants. It's open daily from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for breakfast and lunch.
"All our recipes are simple," Fanette told the Herald. "It's a family recipe." The couple came to Florida earlier this year from French Guiana with their five children. They tried Miami for a month, settled in Bradenton and spent three months renovating before opening.
The timing matters for downtown's morning options. Sage Biscuit's downtown breakfast and lunch hours are gone, and Au P'tit Bonheur now serves breakfast and lunch downtown every day.
Out on Manatee Avenue West, Ed's Tavern opened its fourth Manatee County location at 7433 Manatee Ave. W. The Herald says it's the brand's first west of I-75, and it has a suite with sports and golf simulators.
The next few dates
- Monday, Oct. 5, 8 a.m.: Breakfast is announced to start at The Spotted Rabbit Gastropub, 1830 59th St. W.
- Thursday, Oct. 8: Flamingo Bay Brewing's October live-music calendar continues.
- Friday, Oct. 16, 6 to 9 p.m.: Tony Carr plays at Flamingo Bay, with food from Cottonmouth.
- Feb. 1, 2027: Motorworks Brewing's target date to reopen at 1014 Ninth St. W. under new ownership.
Whatever goes into 1401 Manatee Ave. W. next will be the first sign of what Savlan Capital plans for the space. So far, the only public statement is that it won't be a restaurant.
A storefront changing tenants on your street can change more than where you get breakfast. If you own near Old Main Street, the Village of the Arts or the Manatee Avenue West corridor and want to know how these changes could affect your property, Jesse Griffin follows each one block by block. Contact Jesse for a personalized market plan.
