Woody's History and Its New Future
If you've spent any time on St. Pete Beach, you probably have a Woody's story. Here's how the little bar at Blind Pass got started, what the storms took from it, and what Tfue is doing to bring it back.
From bait house to beach bar
The building at 7308 Sunset Way has sat on the water at Blind Pass since 1945. It began as a bait house, became the Sunset Inn, and then turned into Woody's.
The George family took over in the late 1980s and ran it as a family business for about 35 years. Sisters Roxene Riles and Marlo George, who grew up there, later ran it themselves.
Wings, sunsets and wet burgers
Woody's kept it simple: buffalo wings, big burgers and cold pitchers at happy hour, on a deck so close to the pass that the old slogan promised "your burger will get wet." Regulars came for the sunsets, live music, trivia nights and a dining room covered in old photos and Steelers gear.
The water was part of the deal. Storms washed over the deck more than once, and the crew often stayed open right through it. One June 2013 post summed it up: water through the building, still open, great time.
The storm that closed it
In late September 2024, Hurricane Helene pushed more than five feet of water into the restaurant, wrecking the kitchen, windows, tables and chairs. Hurricane Milton hit less than two weeks later. "After 34 years we have finally met our match," Woody's posted.
In January 2025, the family decided to sell. New rules meant any rebuild would have to go up instead of staying on the ground floor, and the cost of starting over was too much.
A new owner who remembers it
In January 2026, Woody's sold for $2.4 million to Turner Tenney, the Indian Rocks Beach native known online as Tfue, once one of the biggest names in competitive Fortnite. He came to Woody's as a kid, and he wants to bring it back as Woody's Waterfront: same name, same old-school beach bar, not a luxury makeover.
The rebuild so far
Tfue has been filming every step for his YouTube channel, starting with a walkthrough of the property this fall. Inside, he found warped floors, broken concrete, exposed rebar and spots where the floor had caved in. He also found old photos and memorabilia that made it through, plus the original Woody's sign, which he's thinking about keeping.
Since then, the crew has:
- Cleared the overgrown lot and pulled out the old bathroom tile.
- Yanked the kitchen's grease-caked vent hood off the wall with a chain and his truck.
- Walked the site with the architect and builders. The plan calls for new power, new windows and doors, and the same colors as before, and Tfue wants to keep the old brick floor.
- Gotten word from a structural engineer that the building is stable, signed with a contractor and received building permits.
- Reprinted Woody's old retro stickers.
What's next
The builders say plumbing and concrete work come first. Early estimates put the whole job at six months to a year, and the crew has set a goal of having the bar open in time for the Super Bowl. Those are goals, not promises, and we'll update this post as the work moves along.
Watch the whole rebuild
Tfue posts new videos as the work goes. Start from the day he got the keys: