The newest bar in town is the Ponte Vedra Tap Room, but despite being new it is also very familiar to those in the Ponte Vedra Beach community.
Ponte Vedra Tap Room is the latest upgrade of Trasca & Co. Eatery, which took its bar and rebranded it while also expanding its space and giving it an all-new vibe.
“That part of our space used to be a sort of transitioning area where people would come in and order,” owner Sara Frasca said. “But now, it is all its own.”
According to Frasca, the creation of the Ponte Vedra Tap Room is also the first step in achieving the plans the company has for the near future.
“We are working on having franchises all over,” Frasca said. “This will allow for people to buy in through the bar model.”
Frasca hopes to have franchise process begin to go into effect as early as March.
The Ponte Vedra Tap Room held its grand opening for the public on Dec. 29 and an official ribbon cutting as part of joining the Chamber on Jan. 5.
It remains in the space next to Trasca & Co. Eatery as part of the Sawgrass Village Shopping Center off of A1A.
Part of the upgrade was not just making a larger space full of new furniture, but also includes adding to the number of cocktails and draft beer selections available on tap.
“We definitely wanted to offer a good variety to folks, with many craft beers available as well,” Frasca said. “There are definitely many seasonal selections that will come into play.”
Prosecco will even be offered on tap.
“The team that did the remodel did a remarkable job,” Frasca said. “We are really striving to create a comfortable setting that you can come as you are.”
She believes the Ponte Vedra Tap Room has all the makings to be a true neighborhood bar that can become a place where anybody can come and feel welcome in the environment, even families.
One of the ways they look that neighborhood bar culture is by bringing in live music and letting the community know it is a place to be within the local scene.
According to Frasca, she consider herself and her family to be “foodies,” and have a certain passion for food and drink, and she believes that is reflective in both their decisions they make and how they choose to run their businesses.
That passion is exactly what she hopes to convey to interested franchise owners in the hopes that they will discover it for themselves.
“We hope to have a broader reach not Jacksonville and beyond in the area,” Frasca said.
Since Trasca & Co. Eatery opened in 1976, they have been known for their paninos, which is their own version of a wrap with various ingredients wrapped up in dough made from a secret family recipe.
“It’s time, and we want to share the panino with the rest of the world,” Frasca said. “I had never really anticipated franchising, but it really just came about. To have this incredible creation out there for everyone else to possibly enjoy would be such an honor.”
