New Wood Fired Pizza and Taproom Concept Opening in Lithia
Smokin Oak Wood Fired Pizza and Taproom plans to debut with a self-serve beer tap wall.
LITHIA, FL – Smokin Oak Wood Fired Pizza and Taproom is targeting a late May or early June opening at 5607 Circa Fishhawk Blvd, Lithia, FL 33547, co-owner Lauren Hoger told Business Debut. The franchise location will be operated by Lauren Hoger and Korey Hoger, with their children also involved in the day-to-day operations.
What to Expect
The 2,400-square-foot space is planned for 123 seats, a mixture of indoor and outdoor seating, Hoger told Business Debut. The patio will include a traditional bar, while inside guests will find high-top tables around the tap wall designed to “kind of more imitate a bar feel,” along with standard-height tables and booths.
The concept centers on true wood-fired pizza. “No gas, no nothing else,” Hoger told Business Debut. “All fresh ingredients. There’s no freezer on premises.”
Guests will order at the counter, seat themselves and have food delivered to the table, with staff handling cleanup. Drinks will be self-serve through the tap wall. “You’ll place your order, you’ll sit down, we’ll bring it to you, we’ll clean up after you. But everything else as far as drinks, that’s all self pour,” she told Business Debut.
The tap wall is expected to feature tentatively 12 beers, including domestic and local options, along with hard alcoholic beverages on tap and two wines. Selections will rotate. “Nothing will be standard current. It’ll all be changeable,” Hoger said.
Menu and Vision
Across the brand, Smokin Oak Wood Fired Pizza and Taproom operates without freezers and emphasizes fresh, never frozen ingredients. “They won’t even let us put a freezer if we wanted,” Hoger told Business Debut, explaining that the commitment to freshness shapes the streamlined menu.
Guests can choose from specialty pizzas or build their own, including a cauliflower crust option. The menu also includes preset and customizable salads, along with appetizers such as breadsticks and stuffed garlic breadsticks and a selection of desserts.
Hoger said the concept is designed to give guests flexibility, pairing wood-fired pizza with the interactive tap wall experience. “Nothing will be standard current. It’ll all be changeable,” she told Business Debut, referring to the rotating beverage selections.
What will set the Lithia location apart from others in the franchise is its focus on youth sports. The Hogers plan to incorporate sports-themed elements throughout the space and position the restaurant as a gathering place for local teams and families. “Right now our intent is to have a focus on youth sports,” Hoger told Business Debut.
They plan to advertise at local parks and encourage teams to host fundraising nights at the restaurant. “We definitely would encourage any sports team to have their fundraiser night … where they get proceeds,” she told Business Debut.
Opening Timeline
The restaurant is targeting a late May or early June opening.
Hours
Planned hours are seven days a week from 11 a.m.–9 p.m.
Follow for More
Website and Social media pages to be announced.
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