Tin Cow to reopen with new look, new menu items

A little more than three weeks after health code violations prompted a self-imposed closure of the Tin Cow by owner Joe Abston, the restaurant is ready for a fresh start as it reopens to the public on Monday.

The popular South Palafox burger spot conducted a couple of soft re-openings Wednesday and Thursday, testing out new menu items and a new look for specially invited guests. Those re-openings went well according to Abston, who said he paid his entire staff during the shutdown to help with the makeover.

"We've done a lot of work, we've had a lot of team building," Abston said. "We kept on our employees to do a lot of the work outside of the professional work, so like the painting, organizing and cleaning. So that's a really great feeling, that we did all this together."

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation cited the Tin Cow with 11 violations — including high priority violations for live cockroaches and rodent droppings — during a Jan. 18 inspection, but gave clearance to reopen the following day. The Tin Cow chose to remain closed for major renovations.

Initially set to close for only a week, Abston said he felt it was best to do more work than he originally planned.

More: Tin Cow shuts down for a week for 'complete remodel' after health inspection

"When you crack open a 70-year-old building you never know what you're going to get," Abston said. "We put a lot of effort into sealing the restaurant up so it could really hold tight."

On top of redone floors and bathrooms, and a revitalized service area, patrons will notice a brighter restaurant and all new lighting. In the kitchen, walk-in coolers, freezers and other appliances were repaired.

"What's interesting is it doesn't look like a whole lot, but if you've worked in the restaurant industry or specifically in this restaurant, it's a shocking change," Abston said. "We're giving tours of the kitchen. I've probably had about 30 guests come through it already."

Known for its design-your-own burger options, the Tin Cow took time during the closure to add new items to its menu, including pulled pork sandwiches and onion rings, pickled beets, vegetable hummus and chicken wings. There's also a new design-your-own snack area.

More: Tin Cow in Pace closes its doors after 18 months

"Basically you can load tortilla chips and pork rinds up with queso and jalapenos, almost like nachos," Abston said. "They're really pretty cool."

Also starting on Monday Abston said there will be daily giveaways for "at least 10 days." All next week, customers can win free milkshakes every day for a year. In order to have a chance to win, customers who come in for a meal or drinks need to fill out a comment card to describe their experience and leave an email address.

"We want feedback on the changes," Abston said.

Abston, who also owns Hopjacks on South Palafox and the Tin Cow on East Nine Mile Road, said he's worked closely with EcoSure, a third-party independent company that offers health and safety audits and food safety programs. Abston said he'll continue to bring EcoSure representatives into each of his restaurants on a regular basis going forward.

He also said there will be consistent, ongoing maintenance done to the downtown Tin Cow.

"We're looking at doing partial renovations every few months, so we're attacking things in a different way," Abston said. "We've put the base foundation down, which is really what this restaurant needed. We're still looking at doing periodic renovations, but nothing that will take us out of commission for two and a half weeks again."

Abston said he's gotten a lot of public support during the closure and also a fair share of detraction. He thinks building back up the community's trust will take some time, but said he's ready to show his commitment to doing just that.

"We're really excited that people who trust us and are willing to trust us, they have that open mind," Abston said. "And not only that open mind, but open ears, eyes and mouth, to come and ask us questions and come see what's changed. My personal cell phone number is still written on every receipt that goes out. So I'm as personally invested in this as I possibly could be."

Jake Newby can be reached at jnewby@pnj.com or 850-435-8538.