According to local social services organization Sarasota County Openly Plans for Excellence, also known as SCOPE, a recent report on median age demonstrates that the median age for Sarasota County remained higher than that of the state of Florida's, as well as the country's, between the years of 2005 to 2012. While Florida and the nation's median age remained relatively constant during this time frame, Sarasota County saw a sparked incline between 2009 and 2010.  

A national chain of pastry and panini shops may soon populate a few more corners in West Florida. Corner Bakery Cafe announced last month that it was doubling its number of locations over the next couple years, and now says 10 to 12 of those will be in the Greater Tampa Bay area, including locations in Bradenton and Sarasota.

“We love Florida,” Gregg Koffler, vice president of franchise sales, told SRQ. “We have a presence on the east side of Florida, in Broward, Miami-Dade and East Palm Beach, and now we have a presence in Jacksonville. It makes sense for us to head into the Tampa-St. Petersburg area.” The chain already has one location open in Brandon, and will scout new locations in Bradenton, Sarasota, Tarpon Springs, Tampa and St. Petersburg.

Koffler expects a single franchise group will own and operate all of the locations in the West Florida market. When scouting locales, the company said it is most interested in seeing a concentration of white-collar businesses within a three-mile location. That typically guarantees success in terms of catering business. “We look for doctor’s offices, law firms, high-tech, car dealerships—people who have meetings within their four walls,” Koffler said.

Corner Bakery Cafe was acquired in 2011 by Roark Capital Group in Atlanta and today has 185 corporate-owned and franchise locations throughout the country. Firmly in the fast casual restaurant category, locations serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, boasting a menu that puts it in seeming competition with Panera Bread Company and similar chains. The company right now has more than 390 locations in development commitments. Koffler said the company is looking for interested franchise operators around the country, and is also targeting areas in North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. 

Franchise Information for Corner Bakery Cafe

The first Skyway Film Festival has come to a close, and the inaugural awards have been given. Night Owls, by director Charles Hood, snagged the Grand Jury Narrative Feature award, while 3 ½ Minutes, 10 Bullets, by documentarian Marc Silver, won the Grand Jury Documentary Feature Award. A total of 10 awards were given in total. Read for full results.

GRAND JURY NARRATIVE FEATURE - Night Owls, Directed by Charles Hood

GRAND JURY DOCUMENTARY FEATURE - 3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets, Directed by Marc Silver

GRAND JURY SHORT FILM SPONSORED BY INDIE PIX - The Whispers, Directed by Sarah Heitz De Chabeneix

GRAND JURY FLORIDA SHORT FILM - Lean, Directed by Kevin O'Neill

SPECIAL JURY AWARD FOR ACTING - Amberlee Colson from the Feature Film Worthy, Directed by Marianna Palka

SPECIAL JURY AWARD FOR DIRECTING - Across the Sea, Directed by Nisan Dag and Esra Saddam

GRAND JURY TELEPLAY - Razorhurst, Written by Li Lu

AUDIENCE AWARD NARRATIVE FEATURE - The Suffering, Directed by Robert Hamilton

AUDIENCE AWARD SHORT FILM - End of War, Directed by Bernard E. James

AUDIENCE AWARD STUDENT SHORT - Wonder in the Smokies, Directed by Drew Perlmutter

Read more coverage of the Skyway Film Festival at SRQBacklot.com. 

SRQ Backlot

Sarasota City Commission: The board meets today to further discuss construction plans for Lift Station 87, among other issues. The evening session begins at 6pm.

Palmetto City Commission: The board meets today for a special meeting of the Community Redevelopment Agency. The meeting begins at 7pm at City Hall. 

Sarasota City Commission

YO! Sushi is now open at The Mall at University Town Center. Founded in 1997, YO! Sushi brought the concept of a Japanese ‘kaiten’ sushi bar that delivered food to customers via a conveyor belt to the masses. Although sushi is at the heart of the concept and brand, the restaurant offers over 80 Japanese inspired items, including soups, rice or noodle-based dishes, salads and tempura. The University Town Center location is only the second in the US and the first in Florida.  

YO! Sushi

Nathan Benderson Park will be the site of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for rowing, a qualifying event for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, USRowing officials announced Friday. Glen Merry, CEO of USRowing, announced the news from the finish line of the 2015 Youth National Championships, held this weekend at Nathan Benderson Park. The trials are scheduled to take place April 18-24, 2016, bringing Olympic hopefuls from all over the country to Sarasota County. 

Sarasota County