Mattison's Restaurants, Grill, Steakhouse & Catering in Sarasota, Siesta Key, Longboat Key and Bradenton, Wedding Caterer

The Sarasota Herald Tribune, October 25, 2007

South Sarasota is next site for a Mattison's restaurant by Toni Whitt, photo by Dan Wagner

SARASOTA -- Restaurateur Paul Mattison is converting the former Lone Star Steak House in south Sarasota into his newest venue, Mattison's Forty-One.

Mattison paid just more than $3 million for the 10,000-square-foot building and two acres. The new restaurant, which has been under renovation for six weeks, is set to open next month.

It will be his fourth restaurant in the area. It is the first time Mattison has bought property for a restaurant. He leases the spaces for the others. Jack and Mary Geldi, brokers with Ilene Merman Realty, approached Mattison about buying the property, which was not listed. The Patapais family has owned the property since the 1970s, when they bought it for the Watermill Restaurant.

Mattison plans to move his office and catering headquarters to the new building. He said the site -- on heavily traveled U.S. 41 -- and the structure convinced him to buy.
It s a fabulous location and a unique building, said Mattison, who has gathered stories about its beginnings as the Watermill Restaurant, complete with a waterwheel at the front. He is exposing the old beams and stone from the early days.

Lone Star expanded the building, giving him enough room for both the restaurant and his catering operations, which have outgrown their space at Mattison's Steakhouse at the Plaza.

The property has more than enough parking for customers and room to grow. There s so much here that the price tag makes sense, Mattison said. When I saw what I could do with the restaurant, that made me go forth.

And, he said, the investment in real estate will pay off eventually. I figure 20 years from now I may be too old to do this, Mattison said. Rather than have expiring leases, this will be an asset for some sort of retirement. Renovations for 230-seat Mattison's Forty-One should be completed in three weeks, he said.

Mattison closed on the restaurant Monday, but even before he signed the final documents to buy the building, he had replaced the roof and air-conditioning system so that he could open at the start of season. After the restaurant opens, he plans to continue with renovations on the second phase, which will include a wine room, a private dining room, an office and catering facilities.

Mattison plans to combine elements from his Longboat Key Steakhouse, his Riverside restaurant in Bradenton and his City Grille in downtown Sarasota into the new venture. He is creating an outdoor garden and dining area and will convert the interior so that it has elements of his Longboat Key steakhouse. He also plans to build a wine cellar. Mattison got his start in Sarasota as a partner in the Summerhouse Restaurant on Siesta Key. He opened his first Mattison's restaurant in 2002 in downtown Sarasota.