The story is legendary.
The famous and infamous Key West saloon that is Sloppy Joe’s name sake opened December 5, 1933 – the day Prohibition was repealed. Sloppy Joe’s original owner – Joe Russell – was one of many enterprising individuals who operated illegal speak-easies. Even Ernest Hemingway, who lived in Key West at the time, popped into Russell’s place on occasion to buy illicit bottles of Scotch. The two struck up an enduring friendship. It was actually Hemingway who encouraged Russell’s name change to Sloppy Joe’s which was adopted from Jose Garcia Rio’s Havana club that sold liquor and iced seafood. Because the floor was always wet with melted ice, his patrons taunted this Spanish Joe with running a sloppy place. So the name – Sloppy Joe’s – stuck.
Today, Sloppy Joe’s legendary tradition continues with this 11,000 square foot venue overlooking Treasure Island Beach. Sloppy Joe’s Treasure Island has spectacular outdoor decks from which you can watch the nightly sunset while enjoying a menu that features a variety of sandwiches, salads and pasta dishes, as well as American Caribbean entrees – great food at very affordable prices.
Dirty Water Media’s Kendra Middleton and Amanda Soucy take you inside Sloppy Joes and chat with their GM Clyde Smith about why Sloppy Joe’s is a brand that endures.
