The Chattaway Reopens in St. Pete, Saved From Redevelopment by New Owners

The Chattaway reopened Sept. 25 at 358 22nd Avenue South after a group of local restaurant owners bought both the business and the 0.70-acre property beneath it, ending months of uncertainty over whether the 75-year-old south St. Petersburg landmark would survive at all.

Earlier this year, the property went under contract with plans for possible townhomes or mixed-use retail. Longtime owners were preparing to close. Cullen Mahoney, who was first sent the listing as a potential redevelopment site, decided instead to try to save it. He brought in Ferg's Sports Bar owner Mark Ferguson and Shrimpy's Waterfront owner John John Delladonna, and the three closed on the land and the restaurant together.

"We have to find a way to preserve this," Mahoney said. "There's no other place like this on the south side."

Because the group now owns the building and the ground under it outright, they say they can protect the site from future redevelopment for good. "We want to hold onto it in perpetuity," Mahoney said. "Now that we own it, we want to ensure it doesn't go anywhere."

What's new, what stayed the same

The reopened Chattaway looks and feels like the one generations of St. Pete families grew up with, with a few changes aimed at keeping it running smoothly. A second outdoor bar and an overhead canopy with fans now let the patio stay open even when it rains, something that used to shut the place down. The restaurant also has a full liquor license for the first time.

The menu keeps its longtime centerpiece, the burger Mahoney calls "the holy grail" of the Chattaway experience, and adds fresh seafood drawn from Shrimpy's, wings from Ferg's, and new vegan options. Inside, the front restroom got a new mural, and the tea room, long a quieter side of the restaurant, is getting a floor repair and equipment upgrades so it can become a regular dining space rather than an occasional one.

The photos and plaques covering the walls, decades of regulars' memories laminated under polyurethane and screwed into the paneling, are staying exactly where they are.

"We care about every photo that's under polyurethane stuck to the bar," Mahoney said. "We care about every plaque screwed into the wall. We're keeping it what it is because that's what makes it important to St. Pete."

A gathering spot with 75 years behind it

The Chattaway dates to 1951, when Helen Lund bought the business. Her son Everett Lund later joined her, followed by his wife, Jillian Frers, who kept it running for decades as one of the neighborhood's steadiest fixtures, known equally for its burgers and its old-fashioned afternoon tea service.

Ferguson grew up in nearby Lakewood Estates and remembers biking to The Chattaway as a kid. Mahoney lives within walking distance and has his own history there with his girlfriend. That personal stake, the owners say, is part of why they wanted the restoration to be careful rather than flashy.

"Our shared objective was not to recreate The Chattaway in a more polished image," the ownership group has said of the project. "It was to give the institution the attention it needed to keep going."

Looking ahead, the new owners are weighing live music, community events, and weekend markets on the property, though Mahoney has said the goal isn't to turn the place into a crowded sports bar. He described wanting it to stay a spot where neighbors, families, kids, and dogs can gather as development keeps reshaping the surrounding blocks of St. Pete.

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