Bubble Room set to blow us away

New restaurant on St. George Street could brighten up local scene

By Katy Bass | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Photo by Mary Elizabeth Fair

PHOTO CAPTION The Bubble Room, located at 100 St. George Street, will open in mid-March. The downstairs gift shop is already open.

St. Augustine prides itself in being the oldest city in the United States, but this doesn’t mean there isn’t room for a little “new” in town.

The creative minds behind the successful Bubble Room on the west coast of Florida decided St. Augustine needed a little something different and eclectic in its restaurant scene.

Their upcoming second location, at 100 St. George St., is in the final stages of construction.

The Bubble Room originated in Captiva Island, Fla., in 1979. The décor is unlike anything St. Augustine has ever seen.

Owner, Dr. Richard Johnson, somehow decided that Christmas, antique shops, and “old Hollywood” should be the theme for the restaurant; ’30s and ’40s memorabilia, toy trains, colored lights and movie stills help make the restaurant even more fascinating.

Some of the menu’s famous entrees include Porkey Pig a la Bobby Philips, Prime Rib Weismuller, Ponce de Paella and many more.

In my opinion, the best part of the restaurant is its Bubble Scout servers. That’s right — the servers wear Boy Scout and Girl Scout uniforms, and must always serve their customers with a bubbly personality.

“A lot of our business at the location in Captiva is from people in this area,” the restaurant’s manager, Jim George, said. “So we knew that if we opened another restaurant up here, we would be sure to get plenty of business. Plus, 63 percent of our business is from families, and if you stop and look around St. Augustine, you will see it is a very family-oriented town.”

But where did The Bubble Room’s name came from? According to George, they started hanging bubble lights in every room (back in the day, people used these as Christmas lights), so they thought it only made sense to name the restaurant after this tradition.

The Bubble Room gift store has already opened on the first floor of the restaurant’s building, and it has had steady business, according to the store’s manager, Christine Potter.

The store sells many of the items seen hanging in the restaurant, like the vintage toys and memorabilia from different eras.

“We wouldn’t be putting all this money into an old building on St. George Street, if we didn’t believe the restaurant would be successful in St. Augustine,” Potter said.

With the grand opening right around the corner, and the busy tourism season approaching, The Bubble Room has everything it needs to be a hit.

According to George, many Flagler students have already applied for jobs. It looks like becoming a Bubble Scout doesn’t sound half bad. The Bubble Room restaurant is set to open in mid-March.