Press Release: BarFly Ventures LLC announced plans to open its first Florida HopCat location in late 2017 in the fast-growing Atlantic coast city of Port St. Lucie.

The award-winning restaurant and beer bar will feature 100 taps of craft beer and cider along with a full food menu, including HopCat’s famous Crack Fries, named among the 10 best French fries in the country by Food Network Magazine.

HopCat will be located in a newly constructed $2 million waterfront building in the Tradition community off SW Meeting Street near Panera Bread. The building is being developed by Innovo Development Group, of Kalamazoo, Mich..

The location is a homecoming for HopCat Chief Operating Officer Mark Gray, who lives with his wife and children in PSL.

“Bringing HopCat to my home has always been a personal goal. The opportunity to open at Tradition offered us the perfect way to introduce our restaurant and craft beer bar to the state of Florida,” said Gray, who has lived in PSL for 16 years. “Florida’s craft beer industry is innovative and growing. We look forward to working with the industry to provide a hub and a showcase for Florida’s brewers.”

Port St. Lucie Mayor Gregory Oravec welcomed HopCat as part of Port St. Lucie’s vibrant restaurant scene.

“As the eighth largest city in Florida and growing, we see an increasing number of retailers and restaurateurs wanting to call Port St. Lucie ‘home,’” Oravec said. “We could not be more proud to have one of our local residents, Mark Gray, leading the effort to bring a special concept like HopCat to one of our landmark waterfront locations. If they execute like we expect them to, their only problem will be not having enough seats.”

HopCat – Port St. Lucie will include a large waterfront dining area with interior seating for up to 250 people.

HopCat’s menu includes signature half-pound burgers, Detroit-style pizza, homemade soups and salads, a variety of homemade shareables and entrees like customizable Killer Mac & Cheese. HopCat’s award-winning beer-battered Crack Fries have gained legions of fans as the perfect complement to craft beer.

The project is expected to result in the creation of about 130 jobs at HopCat.

“We are pleased to help HopCat open its exciting new waterfront restaurant in Port St. Lucie and Tradition,” said Jay Gudebski, president of Innovo. “HopCat’s award-winning food and incredible selection of craft beer will be a great addition to Tradition’s vibrant community dining scene.

HopCat will also bring BarFly Ventures’ industry-leading waste reduction program to Port St. Lucie. The program has a goal of composting and recycling 90 percent or more of the waste generated at BarFly restaurants.

Follow HopCat – Port St. Lucie’s progress on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (@HopCatPSL).

About BarFly Ventures/HopCat
Founded in Grand Rapids, Mich., in 2008, BarFly Ventures is the parent company of HopCat, a craft beer bar named “No. 3 Beer Bar on Planet Earth” by Beer Advocate Magazine and “No. 1 Brewpub in the United States” by RateBeer.com. HopCat has locations in Ann Arbor, Detroit, East Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Kalamazoo, Mich.; Chicago, Ill., Indianapolis, Ind., Lexington and Louisville, Ky., Lincoln, Neb. and Madison, Wis. BarFly Ventures also has three other restaurant/bar concepts in Grand Rapids: Stella’s Lounge, a whiskey and retro-arcade bar; Grand Rapids Brewing Company, and The Waldron, a special events and private party venue.