Our story
About & History
Nearly a century on the same stretch of water — and still pouring the coldest beer in town.
A landmark since 1929
How a hurricane made a New Pass
Sarasota County’s New Pass was cut by the hurricane of 1848. William Whitaker, a Sarasota pioneer, rode out the storm and the next morning was reported to have said, “Look, there’s a NEW PASS!”
In 1927 the citizens of Sarasota passed a bond issue, 607–20, to build a New Pass Bridge and connecting roadways. On Easter Sunday, March 31, 1929, the public crossed the bridge for the first time. The original New Pass Bait Shop was founded that same year.
It became a historical landmark, and for 53 years it buzzed with boaters and fishermen there for bait, tackle or “the coldest beer and best burgers in town.”
A bridge, a closure, a comeback
Rebuilt by the water, right where it belongs
During the 1970s, the New Pass Bridge was consistently stuck in the open position. In July 1982 the New Pass Grill and Bait Shop were forced to close, making way for a new, wider and longer bridge.
A new Grill and Bait Shop was built near the water where it stands today — along one of the most beautiful circle drives in America (Sarasota to St. Armand’s, Lido, Longboat, Anna Maria, Bradenton and back), always within sight of the bay or the Gulf of Mexico.
The short version
Almost 100 years, in a few dates
1848
A hurricane cuts a new pass through the barrier islands — and gives the place its name.
1929
The New Pass Bridge opens on Easter Sunday; the original bait shop is founded the same year.
Today
Rebuilt by the water in the 1980s and still going — grill, bait shop and charter dock under one roof.
Who we’re for
Family, locals & weekend warriors — all welcome
Some places get fancier as they get older. We’d rather stay the kind of spot where a charter captain, a family with sandy feet, and a regular who’s been coming for forty years all wait on the same burgers.
That’s old-Florida hospitality, and it’s the whole point.