08/20/2026
Okay this is very personal..
But we told you we will always keep YOU posted.Yesterday there was a planning board hearing about the 1899 Fruitville Project which would replace 17 small businesses with all their employees,history,charm and families to make room for more apartments and NO retail here at our location.
We had to witness ourselves where this city is at.We feel lost,our eyes were opened and we can see clearly now that we as small businesses don’t matter in this situation!
Every single planning board member of this city voted YES to their adjustments to give them their sign off.There is no delay.
This project fits the zoning requirements and the “horrible” live local act.
Now their hurdle is still the site plan and the traffic study and remember the property has not been sold yet!It takes time!
We had to go and be there.we are a small family.We’ve built our life on this.We put all we have into our business when we moved here and serve the local community with success and pride and do all we can to give Sarasota a special,affordable and personal German dining experience since over 7 years.
We put everything in this with all our hearts!
Now we found ourselves in the City Hall listening to Kimley Horn representatives Philip di Maria and local real estate attorney Pat Seidensticker and the actual developers from Bristol Tennessee represented by David Hanchrow and witnessed how every single planning board member voted yes on their changes!
I realized how small we are as small businesses in 2026.
This process has been going since a long time without us knowing.We lease the buildings and don’t own.
It is really sad to see and witness in what direction Sarasota goes.
But we are actively trying to relocate and preserve some of the buildings and realize our Sarasota Bungalow Village.We talked to several moving companies that assure that they can be moved rather than having the developer demolish them.Why demolish when we can move and safe them?And at least they are willing to give them to us when they own the property.
The developer side determined on its own that buildings can not be moved and shared this information in the past.
Our message is that they can be moved and we need to get the time to figure out when and how.
We are still here and serving you,still nothing will happen anytime soon.This is just an emotional update and telling you as our valued guest,regulars and friends where we are at.We are always here and personal so we are also personal with you about this.
We will need your help and support in the future.
We’re in the process of trying to preserve our bungalows and move them just down the road on fruitville Road to create the Sarasota Bungalow Village.
By using the QR code you can chose to which of the participating businesses you’d like to donate.Every dollar helps and if you chose to donate to US it will 100% go into our our move of Siegfrieds and the building and help US relocating and be able to serve you in the future with our long time Siegfrieds family when we are not able to be open at the current location.
It is not easy,it is sad,especially on a day like yesterday where you get confronted with people that couldn’t care less.
But we can promise you one thing,we will fight for the remaining charm and we will do all in our power to serve you,save our long time employees jobs,preserve and keep doing what we do!Why???Because especially on days like this we think about the positive experiences and memories in this beautiful city of Sarasota which became our home.YOU!!!Our regulars and guests that support us for so many years!We appreciate you and we’re grateful for you and never forget all your help throughout the years
As always we will keep you posted,we are here to stay and we will always be grateful for your support in good and bad times.
We serve you and will be here at our current location for you!It’s still a long process
Thank you for everything ♥️
Rene,Kim and Bodie
