Zack Gross, chef/owner of Z Grille, will fold his Zurritos concept (affordable tacos, burritos and such) into his Z Grille menu. Bottom line: The rent at 269 Central Ave. was too high. According to Gross, at $4,200 for 1,200 feet, it just meant selling too many tacos to stay in the black. He's been losing money the past six months and the landlord was unwilling to renegotiate the lease to reflect current economic conditions.

Gross has been considering taking a space in BayWalk, and in fact had signed a letter of intent recently on one of the vacant spaces, but rumors about another imminent closure at BayWalk (in addition to the Gratzzi closure last week), caused him to reconsider, despite a promising deal with the management of the dining/entertainment complex.

"I'd been in the Central Avenue space for 4 1/2 years. My rent started at $2,600 and increased to $4,200 over the course of time. My lunch business recently at Zurritos has never been better--the problem is dinner. In the past year and a half it's gotten worse and worse, to the point that the only busy evening is First Friday. That part of Central Avenue is a nightmare."

At his 150-seat Z Grille (104 2nd St S), he will add the more casual Mexican dishes at Zurritos prices. In fact, Gross just Tweeted: "New menu Monday. The return of tacos and burritos for lunch and steak and goat cheese enchiladas, also chicken and bacon waffles."

So what does this mean for BayWalk if in fact another restaurant pulls out? The complex will be left with only two restaurants and a whole lot of empties. According to Amy Engster who does public relations for BayWalk, there may be help on the horizon. In addition to Gross's letter of intent, two other vacant properties have had parties express interest recently. Word is, one of the Tampa Bay area's most established restaurateurs is considering setting up shop.

Still, many restaurateurs are hesitant to consider taking on a huge BayWalk space until the mayoral election--downtown and BayWalk restaurants' future will surely be impacted one way or another by the city's next mayor.