From Sparkman Wharf in Tampa to new cafes being planned by St. Petersburg’s Kahwa Coffee, shipping containers have become a cost-effective, fast, and eye-catching way to get a retail or restaurant business up and running.

The latest concept to embrace the shipping container aesthetic is Little’s, a drive-thru restaurant serving sliders, tenders, fries, and malted milkshakes with a projected opening in early 2023. It will be located at the southwest corner of the intersection of 4th Street North and 87th Avenue near the site of Terraces at 87th, a 92-unit townhome community being developed by Belleair Development Group. Jake Wollman and Mark Stanton of KW Commercial represented Little’s in the lease transaction.

Little’s — the name is inspired by the Chicken Little folk tale — is the result of a collaboration between entrepreneur and long-time St. Pete resident Brian P. Butler and Colby Restaurant Group, a company founded by Butler’s lifelong friends Craig and Mike Colby, twin brothers who operate several Red Robin, Walk-Ons Sports Bistreaux, Chuck Lager’s American Tavern, and Colbie’s Southern Kissed Chicken franchises.

The Little’s menu is still being finalized but it will include beef and chicken sliders; chicken tenders; boardwalk fries, which Butler describes as malted fries served with vinegar; tater tots; sodas; malted shakes; a “crave-able” dessert; and a special or seasonal slider. It’s a limited menu because Butler intends for Little’s restaurants to operate with just a handful of staff members, most likely four, he says, and no more than five.

“We are always looking at cost,” he says, “because one of the things that will make this a very attractive option for franchisees is being able to get into a restaurant for well under a million dollars in total cost. That’s something we’re keeping in mind.”

Breakfast items could be added to the menu at some point, but to start with, Butler intends for Little’s to open at 11 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. during the week and operate from 11 a.m. to 10 or 11 p.m. on weekends.

“There was a time when you had no food options past nine o’clock in St. Pete,” he says, “unless you were downtown. I’d like to be a better option for people than Taco Bell.”

In addition to taking advantage of the shipping container trend, Little’s will also reflect recent pandemic-driven changes in how restaurants serve customers. It will operate as a drive-thru restaurant, Butler says, though future builds may have an indoor dining option, possibly via a second container added to the structure. There will also be a walk-up window for customers who don’t drive or want to get drink refills while they enjoy the outdoor seating at ground level or a covered deck added to the top of the container.

“We're going to concentrate all our efforts on a tremendous experience in the drive-thru,” Butler says.

Although he’s spent the bulk of his career in the insurance and mortgage lending industries, you could say restaurants are in Butler’s blood. His father, he says, “was a career restaurant guy. He worked at two of the biggest icons of St. Pete — he managed the Pier restaurants back in the ’70s and then worked at the Vinoy for seven years. So, this is a natural fit. And I know St. Pete well.”

Butler, 59, was born in New Jersey but considers himself a Floridian. His family first moved to the Sunshine State when he was in fourth grade, and although his father’s career with Marriott International led them to move many times, he’s been a St. Pete resident since the late 1980s.

“I’ve been here the balance of my life,” Butler says. “I moved to St. Pete in 1988 and have lived just north of downtown since then.”

Butler still works in the mortgage lending business but says he’s been discussing restaurant ideas with Craig and Mike Colby, who were his classmates in elementary school back in New Jersey, on and off for the past few years.

“Craig and Mike have always been people I stayed in touch with, ever since I left New Jersey,” he says. “Craig and I really started talking in earnest around 2015. We knew we wanted to do something together.”

Butler, part of the Little’s ownership group, put his hand in the air when it came to opening the flagship location. He believes firmly that the Tampa Bay area, and St. Pete specifically, are ready to support a new concept and food trend.

Going forward, “I have the area development rights for Tampa Bay and beyond to develop 25 stores, and I just know that this concept is going to hit big in our area.” Additionally, franchising efforts are well underway with a national franchising company and St. Pete will set the standard for future franchises as the brand proliferates.

Butler is currently identifying additional sites throughout the Tampa Bay region and expects to have three locations up and running by the end of 2023.

Plans for Little’s St. Pete still preliminary and permits have yet to be approved. Until permits are in hand, elements of the plan outlined in this article are not final and subject to change.