The operators of the Original Wolfie's Bakery on Paylor Lane are bringing a new fast-casual deli concept to The Shoppes at University Town Center, targeting a late November or early December 2026 opening.

Wolfie's Hand Cut will use a Chipotle-style assembly line where roughly five employees slice meats, build sandwiches, and check out customers. The restaurant will seat 24 to 28 diners inside and the same number on a patio, with beer and wine available, according to Jason Starkman, director of operations for The Original Wolfie's and Rascal House.

The format is a direct response to the closure of the brand's full-service Sarasota restaurant at 1420 Blvd. of the Arts, which closed July 3. That location opened in 2023 to long lines but couldn't sustain itself against high labor costs, seasonal swings, and damage from the 2024 hurricanes, Starkman told Your Observer.

"We're selling the same quality meats as an Ocean Prime," Starkman said, referring to the upscale steakhouse chain. "Their rates for labor are the same as a deli. I have to be able to charge you $15 for a sandwich. And I don't want to get to the point where I am reducing my quality. Then I would be done."

The solution: strip out the full kitchen and wait staff, keep the hand-cut meats. Classic sides like matzo ball soup, knishes, and potato pancakes will be prepared daily at the Paylor Lane bakery and delivered to UTC along with all breads.

During a Your Observer reporter's visit to the Lakewood Ranch bakery, employee Tim McCann demonstrated the process, slicing pastrami on a machine and stacking it into the towering, overstuffed sandwich the brand is known for.

Starkman's family has deep roots in the deli world. His father, the late Isaac Starkman, co-founded Jerry's Famous Deli in 1978 in Studio City, California, with partner Jerry Seidman. That chain drew celebrity regulars including Shaquille O'Neal and Adam Sandler before its last location closed in 2020. The family purchased the Wolfie's brand in 1996 after founder Wilfred "Wolfie" Cohen died in 1986.

Owner Jonathan Mitchell and Starkman chose the UTC area in part because Lakewood Ranch draws steadier year-round traffic than Sarasota's Rosemary District, which Starkman said never developed to the level he expected.

"Lakewood Ranch is a whole other area. It is less seasonal," Starkman told Your Observer. "If this works, we will open again in Sarasota."

No specific suite address or construction timeline for the UTC space has been publicly disclosed. The opening target of late November or early December 2026 is based solely on Starkman's statement to Your Observer, published Wednesday, July 23.