CLEARWATER — Over the past few months some longtime staples of the Pinellas County restaurant scene have closed their doors for good, including the Quaker Steak and Lube sports bar in Pinellas Park and popular Italian family restaurant Capogna’s Dugout in Clearwater, leaving a trail of nostalgia-tinged tears behind.
Others, like O’Keefe’s, have opted to relocate, as the Irish tavern that’s been a South Fort Harrison Avenue landmark for more than 60 years is preparing to move into the old Capogna’s spot at 1653 Gulf to Bay Blvd.
The Varsity Club at 24091 US 19 N. has held a secure slot in the mid-Pinellas sports bar scene for more than 35 years.
So, when owner Dave Berlo, a Massachusetts native and longtime hospitality industry veteran, decided he was ready to retire after more than 45 years in the business, he knew he wanted to sell his restaurant to someone who would ensure the V-Club’s legacy would continue to live on in the same place where it started in 1989.
“I sold it to a current manager and a former manager because I knew they would keep the concept the same and make sure the customer base stayed the same, and I didn’t want my longtime employees to leave,” Berlo said on Aug. 29, a few days before he was set to hand the keys over to his hand-picked successors.
“Because I learned a long time ago if you give the customers what they want, and you do it right, more often than not they will keep coming back.”
Customers have continued to pack the onetime Green Bay Packers headquarters for more than three decades because Berlo never tried to reinvent the wheel or radically redesign the restaurant’s concept.
Much like Capogna’s, O’Keefe’s and others, the V-Club has felt like a home away from home for a legion of families and sports fans, as well as local athletic teams, booster organizations and visitors to the area.
And once the word got out that Berlo was retiring, the accolades and praise began to pour in.
“Over 30 years of Penn State Football at Varsity Club and Dave was with us through thick and thin,” read a Sept. 1 comment on the eatery’s Facebook page from the Florida Suncoast chapter of the Penn State Alumni group.
“Congratulations on your retirement Dave! WE ARE forever grateful for your loyalty to our Chapter!!!!”
That kind of love and dedication allowed Berlo to weather the many crises that have battered the hospitality industry over the years, from the COVID-19 pandemic to a boatload of hurricanes and severe storms.
“You have to have quality food and employees, which brings in customers,” he said, adding, “everyone blames COVID” for the downturn in dining out.
“And it did hurt. But if you can rebound, sports will always be around.”
In addition to serving a legion of satisfied customers, the Varsity Club also produced other local business owners, including Steve Campbell, a former Berlo cook who is now the owner of Simon’s Pub in Dunedin.
“Dave taught me everything I know — cooking, bartending, managing,” said Campbell, who worked for Berlo at the V-Club from 1992 until 1998. “He’s not only been a mentor, but a father figure, as well.”
Campbell, who purchased Simon’s in 2021, said “the Varsity Club is a family place,” with many local youth sports teams “going there for 40 years. So, all those kids grew up with the Varsity being the spot to go after practices, games and birthdays. And now they bring their own families there. It’s a generational place.”
In light of all the love and respect he has received after the news of his retirement broke, Berlo was asked if he was convinced that now was a good time to exit the business he’s been part of for nearly half a century.
“Yes, I feel like it’s the right time,” he said. “I’m comfortable with the new owners and I think this going to be a good transition that will keep everyone happy.”
When asked what he plans to do with his newfound free time, the man affectionately known as “Big Dave” smiled and said he planned to travel and enjoy having weekends off for the first time in decades.
“I’ll find something to do!” Berlo said.