Swampy’s Florida Postcard Monday: Sand Dollar Restaurant, St. Petersburg
on November 11, 2023
at 6:00 am
This unmarked post card is of the Sand Dollar Restaurant and Cocktail lounge in St. Petersburg. It had Florida’s only “Merry-Go-Round Lounge”. The back of the card states the location is on US 19 south of Central Plaza. That makes this south of 34th Street.
Please leave any memories you have of the location.
This postcard is part of the Swampy’s Florida collection.
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#Florida #Postcards #FloridaPostcards #Collectibles #History #FloridaHistory #FloridaLiving #FloridaLife #Floridatourism #Travel #Floridatravel #Tourism #Restaurants #FloridaRestaurants #Seafood #SeafoodRestaurants #FloridaFood
In early 1971 I was hired on as a server for the season and just loved working for this company. Sundays were manatory to which management showed those of us required to work RESPECT! by setting up the back dining room with a breakfast style brunch that included pankcakes, waffles, ham, sausage ( both links & patties ), bacon, eggs ( anyway you wanted ), hashbrowns, fruit, juices,coffee, tea, milk, freshly baked rolls ( the best I’ve ever have eaten, with real butter , in fact I still can recall the pleasure I experienced eating those rolls,( hot and oozing with sweet butter). Even after 32 years I still dream of that experience. ) WOW ! what a great reward to show their appreciation.
Over the next 10 years I was contacted at home in the midwest asking if I would be willing to return for the season, which I was always happy to do. Another neat experience was filling in – in the lounge wearing my short, shorts and go- go boots. I could only handle the merry go round for short periods of time to avoid getting dizzy. Tips were great, as was the food, customers , working enviorment and the company. Sorry to know the GOOD OLD DAYS ! at the Sand-Dollar are over. If any ones happens to know when they closed the doors, I would appreciate it if you would post what data you might recall. I last was last there in the lates 90’s and as life moves on I always thought to return someday just to enjoy and remember.
I remember when my mom took me there for a special occassion. I was maybe 8 years old. I ordered the ribs and I recall them being like the ones you see being served to Fred Flinstone…HUGE! Great memory.
My mom loved to eat….and no restaurant ever escaped her. She found them all….and this restaurant was on her radar a few times in the mid seventies….I remember her all dressed up in her slack suit (remember those), and heading south from our home on 9th ave no, to the Sand Dollar, it was always packed….and for good reason, the food was excellent, and the atmosphere was more Las Vegas than little ole po-dunk St.Pete! I remember seeing the building in the 80’s, it was at that time abandoned….I think it was crushed in the late 80’s and is still a vacant lot to this day. I have no idea who owned back in the day….I was around 11 years old at the time…..I have a post card that I picked up on ebay a few years ago…..i just enjoy thinking about the past….and this place is a very interesting memory for me…… I would like to know more about the history of it, Gary
For a few weeks I’d been thinking about the Sand Dollar… so today thought I’d try to pull up a pic. Ahhh what memories. Just like everyone else, when I was a kid walking in all dreamy eyed, the food was good but I couldn’t wait to be an adult. I wanted to be escorted in by a big handsome guy to the rotating lounge & get a drink with the umbrella! Every time we drove down US 19 I’d dream! Miss that landmark!
The Sand Dollar restaurant was built and owned by my uncle Johnny – John Dahlberg. He passed away in 1977, and his wife, Evelyn Dahlberg (my aunt JoJo) just passed away last week – July 22, 2016.
Thank you, Charles, for the update! I hope you’ve read all of the comments below about The Sand Dollar! 🙂 I’m also sorry for the loss of your aunt.
My sincere condolences Charles to you and your family for the loss of your Aunt JoJo. I’m sure you’ve shared some awesome events & memories with your parents, her & your Uncle Johnny. Like I said before, I’ll never forget mine & the first time I sat down in such a magical place. All the best!
Charles Engelke my mom was GM at the Sand Dollar, she started off as head waitress and moved up to GM. She loved the Dahlbergs they were so good to her. She passed away in 2015. Good memories there♡♡
My grandmother is Jean O’Neill, she was a cashier and the Sand Dollar for many years. She is now 100 yo, and still talks about the restaurant.