Thirteenth Street will get a little sweeter this spring.
SweetBerries, a Bradenton-based restaurant, plans to open a Gainesville location in early January. The restaurant will be in the building that housed Book Lover’s Cafe, 505 NW 13th St.
The family-owned business specializes in sandwiches, soups, salads and frozen custard. There is also a location in Sarasota.
Restaurant co-owner Jane Osmond moved to Gainesville from Texas to help her sister manage the new restaurant. She said the restaurant’s menu will set it apart from other Gainesville eateries.
SweetBerries’ prices range from about $6 to $8 for sandwiches and about $4 to $6 for custard.
“There’s very little frozen custard in Florida and none in Gainesville,” she said. “We’re quite confident that SweetBerries is going to do well.”
Osmond, a UF alumna, said she and her siblings are excited to return to the heart of the Gator Nation.
“We love the town and thought it’d be a good place for a restaurant,” she said.
Michelle McGurn, a 21-year-old Santa Fe College third-year music education student, said she ate at SweetBerries for 15 years in Bradenton.
She said she was ecstatic when she found out the restaurant was opening a location in Gainesville.
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe they’re here,’” McGurn said. “I haven’t truly felt like this is my home yet. Once SweetBerries does open, it’s like it’ll be complete for me.”
