Four commercial projects in Winter Springs are listed as under construction on the city's development tracker, last updated October 2, 2026. They are a Chick-fil-A, a PNC drive-up bank, an ACE Hardware and a Wawa. Every one of them is a drive-up stop for errands along the State Road 434 corridor. The more interesting opening for Tuscawilla is a few miles south, in a building that already has a kitchen and a screened patio. It's also already on its third restaurant in about two years.
The building is 1301 Winter Springs Blvd, which most of the neighborhood still calls the old Dominick's. The next tenant is The Neighborhood Kitchen, and its owner is aiming to open in early November.
Three dining rooms at one address since 2024
Here is how the space has changed hands:
- 1990 to October 2, 2024: Dominick's. The family-owned Italian restaurant started in Auburn, New York, in 1978 and moved to Winter Springs in 1990. WKMG reported that it announced its permanent closure on Wednesday, October 2, 2024. That followed a temporary closure that started September 11 while the restaurant worked on kitchen staffing.
- November 5, 2024: Marie's Ristorante and Pizza. Oviedo Community News reported that Marie's held its opening night in the building about a month after Dominick's closed. It kept some former Dominick's staff and carried on Wine Down Wednesdays and live music under the new name.
- July 14, 2026: The Neighborhood Kitchen LLC. The company was registered with the state that day. Florida's Division of Corporations lists it as active, gives 1301 Winter Springs Blvd as its principal address, and names Pedro Botta and Claudia Urzua as managers.
That's a long run followed by fast turnover. One operator held the room for more than three decades. Since late 2024 it has had two more, and both chose to keep the space as a restaurant.
What Pedro Botta says is coming
The earliest report was WhatNow Orlando's on September 10, 2026. It said a plan review confirmed the restaurant at this address but gave no menu or opening date. More detail came on September 30, when Botta talked with Business Debut.
Botta told the outlet his plans for the space:
- Seating: about 50 guests inside, about 60 outside, and a full bar with room for 10 or 11.
- Dinner side of the menu: handmade pizzas, house bolognese, scratch-made Alfredo sauce, classic meatloaf, and Peruvian ceviche.
- Breakfast side: chilaquiles and huevos rancheros, which Business Debut tied to the chef's background, along with pancakes and other classic American breakfast dishes.
- Hours: open every day, with 7 a.m. breakfast on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The plan puts more seats on the patio than inside.
Botta has run restaurants in Seminole County before. Business Debut reported that he owns Racks Billiards in Sanford and Racks Pizza and Pool in Casselberry, and that he managed Keke's Breakfast Cafe locations before he owned restaurants. His past work tracks with the menu: pizza from the Racks side, early weekend breakfast from the Keke's side.
"Our passion is really our food," Botta told Business Debut.
The restaurant's own site, tnkitchen.com, still listed early November as the target in its September 30 update. It has an email list for opening news. No exact opening day has been announced, so treat early November as the owner's goal, not a firm date.
Why the building keeps drawing restaurant operators
Botta gave Business Debut his reasoning. He estimated about 5,000 homes in the surrounding residential area, pointed to the lack of other restaurants nearby, and said he wants to give residents a place to eat close to home. The home count is his estimate, but it shows how he sizes the opportunity. He's betting on the neighborhood around the building, not on traffic passing by.
The building fits that plan. According to Hoodline's summary of commercial listing data, it is a standalone restaurant building with 2,604 square feet of interior space, an 1,800-square-foot screened patio, a grease trap already installed, and a brick monument sign. A new tenant doesn't have to build a restaurant from scratch, which helps explain why each operator since 2024 has kept the room a restaurant.
The restaurant shares 1301 Winter Springs Blvd with Luna Nails & Spa, Scott Johnson's Tumble & Gymnastic Academy, and Yellowfin Pool Creations, per WhatNow Orlando. Weekend breakfast at 7 a.m. and dinner seven days a week would bring people to the address at hours the current tenants don't cover.
The other dining room on most Tuscawilla calendars is The Oaks Restaurant at Tuscawilla Country Club. The club lists it as closed Mondays, open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends, with brunch on Sundays only. If The Neighborhood Kitchen keeps its announced hours, Friday and Saturday will have a 7 a.m. breakfast option on Winter Springs Boulevard. On Mondays, it would be serving while The Oaks is closed.
Out on SR 434, the build-out is chains and errands
Compare that to what's going up along the highway. These are the commercial projects the city's tracker lists as under construction as of October 2, 2026:
- ACE Hardware: a 23,517-square-foot store with three separate tenant spaces. The City Commission approved the site plan on May 12, 2025.
- Chick-fil-A: 5,157 square feet with a double-lane drive-thru, site plan approved the same night. A 2025 Oviedo Community News report placed it at the southeast corner of East State Road 434 and Michael Blake Boulevard, part of the Sutton Crossings retail development at SR 434 and Tuskawilla Road.
- PNC Bank at Sutton Crossings: a 2,945-square-foot drive-up bank, site plan approved June 8, 2026. Oviedo Community News described Sutton Crossings as the southeast corner of SR 434 and Tuskawilla Road, within the larger Winter Springs Town Center.
- Wawa at Winter Springs Marketplace: a 4,736-square-foot gas station and convenience store, approved with a conditional use on October 13, 2025.
The square footage tells the story. The Chick-fil-A alone is nearly twice the size of the old Dominick's interior. The ACE Hardware building is about nine times larger. Each SR 434 project is designed around getting cars in and out: a double-lane drive-thru, a drive-up bank, gas pumps. These projects will change how people run errands along the highway.
On Winter Springs Boulevard, the only change in the works is one sit-down restaurant moving into a room that has served food since 1990. For dining inside Tuscawilla, that one change matters more than the four SR 434 projects combined.
Before the doors open
Two city events fall between now and the November target.
The 20th Annual Hometown Harvest, presented by Orlando Health, is Saturday, October 24, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Central Winds Park, 1000 Central Winds Dr. The city lists free hayrides, live music and children's activities. The event listing has the sponsor flyer and a city contact for questions.
The Winter Springs Farmers Market runs at Trotwood Park, 701 Northern Way, on the first and third Sundays of each month from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., per the city calendar. If that schedule holds, the next market is Sunday, November 1. That's right around when The Neighborhood Kitchen hopes to start serving, so check the calendar before you go.
To find out when The Neighborhood Kitchen opens, sign up for the email list at tnkitchen.com. The restaurant's website is the most direct source for the date.
Over the years, I've watched plenty of Seminole County corners change, and the businesses that move into a neighborhood say a lot about what living there day to day will be like. If you live in Tuscawilla and want to talk about what's changing around you, whether that's this building or the projects on SR 434, Diane Sterling is happy to share what she's seeing. Let's Connect.
