The signs say World of Beer. So do the employees when answering the phones. But the tavern in downtown Sarasota isn’t a World of Beer. Not anymore.
The Tampa-based chain revoked the franchise agreement for the tavern at 1888 Main St. last month, court records show. But the local watering hole that opened to great fanfare in spring 2015 was still presenting itself Tuesday as a World of Beer, despite no longer appearing on the company’s website.
A call Tuesday to World of Beer Franchising’s headquarters in Tampa confirmed that the local bar isn’t part of the company anymore.
A local representative of the franchise did not return a voicemail.
This comes as World of Beer is engaged in a legal fight with the local franchise over the closure and rebranding of the World of Beer at 8217 Tourist Center Drive. That location briefly shuttered before reopening as JDub’s Dub Shack at UTC.
According to court documents, World of Beer claims the local owner, SRQBeer LLC, violated the terms of its franchise agreement. In a legal response, an attorney for SRQBeer denied the claims, instead saying that World of Beer failed to uphold its end of the contract, dating back to July 2016.
The Main Street move is an end for World of Beer in Sarasota and Manatee counties. A third tavern, at 497 Cortez Road W., closed last month.