After 13 years, Ybor City’s Stone Soup Company announces immediate closure

One of the more seasoned businesses along Ybor City's bustling 7th Avenue took to social media to announce its abrupt closure earlier today.

“Effective immediately, The Stone Soup Company will cease operations. We would like to thank all the current and past employees, the Ybor and Tampa community, and our guests who have supported us over the last 13 years,” ownership wrote on the restaurant’s Facebook today. “We appreciated the opportunity to serve you all! Thank you!”

The casual restaurant at 1919 E 7th Ave.  was known for its menu of Cuban sandwiches, empanadas, burgers, salads and of course, soup—which ranged from lobster bisque and chicken noodle to tomato basil and Spanish black bean. Beer, wine, and cocktails were offered, too.

The Stone Soup Company’s original owner Ilya Benjamin Goldberg opened his Ybor City restaurant in 2009 and its reputation for tasty Cuban sammies and quick service grew over the years, as well as its sizable "Best of the Bay " award collection.

In late 2022, Goldberg announced that he was retiring and enabling the help of Teamshares to transition the Ybor City restaurant into an employee-owned business. He then stated in a press release that this process would "ensure that Stone Soup can never be sold again and will be around for many years of growth"—an unfortunate statement in light of today's closing announcement. [content-1] While its seasoned employees were able to own a small portion of Stone Soup Company with its new business model,  former restaurant owner and sales veteran Mike Long has been leading the team as its president since early 2023.

His LinkedIn states that Stone Soup Company experienced “16% growth in year 1” with a projected growth of 24% in its second year of being employee-owned.

Stone Soup Company's sudden shuttering joins a slew of other bar and restaurant closures in the Ybor City area, including popular concepts like White Lie,  First Chance Last Chance, The Boneyard , Zydeco Brew Werks, Rock Brothers Brewing and Florida Cane Distillery's tasting room.

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