Clearwater Beach hums with gull cries, sunscreen haze, and the tug of turquoise waves, but one side street hides Florida seafood legend.
In 1981, Frenchy’s opened a café so small it could have been overlooked, yet its grouper sandwich rewrote the shoreline’s story. Gulf-caught fish hit the fryer, grill, or skillet, then landed inside bread that somehow held the heft.
The “Super Grouper” became both anthem and magnet. Locals swore by it, tourists hunted it, and before long the quiet café wasn’t just surviving. It was reigning, one sandwich at a time.
This History Begins In 1981 At The Original Café On A Small Side Street
Back in 1981, the first Frenchy’s opened on Baymont Street, a side lane that could have hidden it forever if not for what came out of the kitchen…