Bearss Tavern and Tap and Mint Cocktail Club, two popular local clubs near USF, announced on May 5 that they would close the next day, leaving patrons and staff members in a state of surprise and disbelief overnight.

Even though the reason behind the closures wasn’t disclosed on the social media post, a few Bearss and Mint staff members shared their insights with The Oracle, which included maintenance issues that plagued the clubs’ plaza.

Bearss opened in 2018, while Mint opened a little later, in 2022. They are located in the Palm Connections plaza. But the bar crawls and all-you-can-drink nights ended the first week of summer 2024.

The closure announcement was made through Bearss’ and Mint’s Instagram stories, but the accounts were deleted immediately after the clubs’ closed on May 6.

Barstool USF announced the venues’ closure on its Instagram page right after the clubs shared the news on their stories.

But the closure wasn’t a shock to just customers.

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Justin Hoffman, a communications major from the class of 2021, was a DJ for both clubs. Hoffman said he found out about the clubs’ closures on the same day the social media announcement was made. 

“I was at work at my other job when Cody Jay, the clubs’ owner, messaged our group chat with a very long and sentimental message saying that we were going to have to close down,” Hoffman said. “It was pretty out of the blue.”

One last call

The last night for customers and staff to say farewell to the clubs was on May 6. 

Dom Belardo, the manager for both clubs, said even though it was a Monday, more than 300 people were in attendance.

“I didn’t expect that many people to come out,” Belardo said. “I didn’t realize they meant so much to everyone.”

The line to enter Bearss was far down the plaza’s parking lot, Hoffman said.

Collin Moen, a junior communications major, was a bartender and barback for both clubs. Moen said he wasn’t there on the last night, but that his coworkers told him it was the best time they had ever had. 

“They were all standing on top of the bars giving out free shots,” Moen said. “They told me it was a pretty cool night, and it probably would have been a sight to see.”

Some customers even made custom T-shirts with phrases such as “R.I.P Bearss,” Hoffman said. He said it felt like people were there for the nostalgia and to celebrate one last party. 

But why did the clubs close?

The clubs have had electrical and plumbing issues over the past four years that have not been addressed by the plaza’s owner, Hoffman said.

Hoffman said those issues caused extensive damage to Bearss and Mint.

“Mint’s roof has leaks, which cause water to enter the roof, mess up the speakers and, over time, break the speakers and the light system,” Hoffman said.

Justin Oates, a USF student, wrote on Barstool USF’s Instagram post, “Last time I was at Mint a speaker fell from the ceiling.” The comment received 150 likes.

The plaza is owned by Tampa Venture Alliance LLC, a company based in St. Petersburg, according to a Business Observer article.

The article reads that the company bought the plaza for $8 million in 2022, but there is little information on who is involved in the company.

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Moen said he was aware of the liabilities but was “astonished” when the whole situation was explained to him since he thought everything was going smoothly.

The decision to close the clubs made sense in the business aspect since it happened in the offseason, Belardo said.

Moen said that, thankfully, he was going home to get ready for his summer internship when he found out about the closures.

“It’s going to impact me on my way back to Tampa because I’m now going to have to find another bartending job, and that’s going to be a little bit of a hassle and a half,” Moen said.

The future of clubbing near USF 

There weren’t a lot of clubs by USF that people actively went to besides Bearss and Mint, Hoffman said.

“People spent a lot of time there, and now that they are gone, it is pretty sentimental,” Hoffman said. “It’s one of those things where you don’t realize what you got till it’s gone.”

Moen said the walking distance of only two miles from USF to the clubs was precisely what made them special to USF students.

“Since we’re closing both of them down, you’re really only having one club in the Temple Terrace area, and there’s only so much room at Ivy Rose,” Moen said. “The underage kids are going to struggle to get into bars, so I don’t know what they’re going to do with all these kids to keep them in line.”

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Belardo confirmed that Jay has been searching for venues to open a new club in the future.

“It won’t be under the name of Bearss or Mint, but I do know he’s looking at something downtown,” Belardo said.

Hoffman said that even though it hurts his heart to see the clubs go, he still hopes they will return to USF’s surroundings.

“The future’s bright, and I’m hoping that we can eventually move past this and get a new venue,” Hoffman said. “I don’t necessarily want to give up on everything yet.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify aspects of why Bearss Tavern and Tap and Mint Cocktail Club closed.