Smalls Sliders, the Baton Rouge-based slider chain backed by former NFL quarterback Drew Brees, opens at 19081 Wingshooter Way in Lutz with a soft opening on Monday, August 11. The grand opening follows on Saturday, August 15, starting at 9 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting at 9:30. The first 100 guests in line that morning receive free sliders for a year.
The Lutz address is Smalls Sliders' second Tampa Bay location, after an existing outpost in Clearwater. Purple Buns, LLC operates the location. The chain has nine Florida stores planned in total, putting seven more beyond Clearwater and Lutz still in the pipeline.
The Smorange is the chain's defining format: every location is built inside a bright orange repurposed shipping container with no indoor seating. Service runs through a walk-up window and drive-thru only. The menu is narrow by design — cooked-to-order cheeseburger sliders dressed with the chain's trademarked Smauce, seasoned waffle fries, and hand-spun shakes. A Biggie Smalls option doubles the meat and cheese on the standard slider.
At the grand opening, Purple Buns, LLC named Joshua House the Lutz location's Smalls Town Hero, accompanying the designation with a charitable donation.
The four-day gap between the August 11 soft open and the August 15 public event is standard for the format. With Clearwater and Lutz both operational, the chain's Florida buildout — nine stores announced — is two locations in.
