The story
Bern Laxer, born in 1923 on Manhattan's Lower East Side, and his wife Gert ran out of money on a visit to Tampa in 1951 and stayed. In 1953 they bought a luncheonette, the Gator Juice Bar. In 1956 they bought the Beer Haven bar at 1208 S Howard Ave. Wanting equal billing, they salvaged letters from the old sign and bought an S to make Bern's. Steak House came later because the phone company required it for listings.
A landlord objected to the alcohol sales, so the couple went back to food. They bought the neighboring shops one at a time and grew from one room to eight dining rooms and from 40 seats to 350. The Harry Waugh Dessert Room, built from redwood wine casks, followed in 1985 with 48 private rooms. Their son David now runs the restaurant, and the Haven restaurant is named for the Beer Haven.
What's There Now
It is still Bern's Steak House at the same Howard Avenue address.
Everything that was here
- 1956–present · still open
Bern's Steak HouseRestaurant
Bern and Gert Laxer bought a bar called Beer Haven and reused the letters on its sign to spell out Bern's.
See the map in 1957 →
Did you know?
Nearby history
The Big Orange Drive-In
Fort Homer W. Hesterly Armory
Valencia Garden
University of Tampa
Tampa Tribune Building (Parker Street plant)
Fort Brooke (site, now Tampa Convention Center)
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