Find another spot for shakes and burgers. This UM favorite in the Gables closed for good
Swensen’s Grill & Ice Cream Parlor, open in Coral Gables for 44 years, has closed and will not reopen.
The owners of the restaurant, situated on a prime piece of real estate along U.S. 1, apparently breached their contract with the landlord and the property was turned over to the landlord, according to a legal notice posted on the restaurant’s back door at 1586 S. Dixie Hwy. The landlords and longtime owners of the property told the Miami Herald Monday that the restaurant will not reopen, and they are looking for a new tenant.
Swensen’s, founded in San Francisco in 1948, spread across the country as a network of independently owned franchises, with its classic diner fare: burgers, fries, milkshakes and lavish ice cream sundaes.
Its location in Coral Gables, which opened in 1977, according to its Instagram page, was popular with longtime Coral Gables residents and University of Miami students. But the brand faded until only three restaurants remained in the United States, including the Coral Gables spot. The franchise is now owned by a Canadian company, which also manages Yogen Früz.
The Coral Gables restaurant, owned by Salim C. Mitha, according to Florida records, tried to remake itself in recent years, adding never-frozen burgers and craft beer (even craft beer milkshakes). For years it made all of its ice cream in house before turning production over to its national headquarters.
The notice on the restaurant window states the business did not pay its property taxes due in March, violating its deal with the landlords, Nancy and Louis Sabia. The restaurant’s last Instagram post was in December.
This story was originally published April 26, 2021 at 3:18 PM.
