ORLANDO, Fla. – Sanford seafood restaurant The Current is getting ready to open its second location, this time setting up shop in Orlando’s College Park neighborhood.
Mike Smith, the owner, plans to open the new location at 2425 Edgewater Drive, which used to house Jade Sushi and New Asian before it closed in November.
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“I had heard back in July through a friend of a friend that that space was (going to be) available,” Smith said. “I reached out to the realtor there and wound up with it.”
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Smith opened the first location of The Current inside Henry’s Depot, a food hall in Sanford, in August 2020 with the goal of opening a quality, casual seafood dining experience.
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Smith said the new restaurant will be about three times the size of that location, which will allow him to expand his menu.
“We’re going to expand into pasta, a couple more salads, lots of non-seafood items — that family of four, you’re not going to be able to feed all four them on seafood most likely. Odds are, one of them’s gonna have another preference,” he said.
Smith also wants to add beer, wine and possibly a full liquor bar to The Current’s Orlando location.
He plans to offer a hybrid service model where guests will order at the counter, but will then have their food delivered to their table where they will also be able to order additional drinks and the like.
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“We’re not just slinging the food at you and standing there while we watch you walk 100 feet back to the counter,” Smith said. “We’re gonna bring it to you. We’re gonna let you sit down and get comfortable.”
In addition to the expanded menu and table service, Smith plans to have special events at the new location.
“We’ll have pop-ups with live Maine lobsters, we’ll have oyster nights, clam nights and things like that,” he said. “Maybe some beer dinners in the works and some guests chefs. We’re gonna keep it fun. I got a good buddy of mine right next door at Pizza Bruno, so I’m sure (Bruno Zacchini) and I are gonna come up with some fun things to do and have some synergy there.”
Smith does not yet have an official opening date in mind. He said he would like to have The Current up and running in College Park by February, but believes March or later in the spring is probably more realistic.