Graze Craze Opens First Pensacola Location as Owners Take Over Gulf Breeze Store

Graze Craze opened its first Pensacola location at 4350 Bayou Blvd., Unit 2, on November 11, with owners Sarah Beth Driver and David also taking over the Gulf Breeze store at 3329 Gulf Breeze Parkway. Yahoo reported the opening. Graze Craze is a national franchise that builds grazing tables, charcuterie boards and boxes for occasions such as birthdays and baby showers.

Inside the Bayou Boulevard Store

The Drivers opened the Pensacola shop with help from their family, merging Sarah Beth's love of hosting with David's restaurant background. "The product is great and that's why we do it, and that's why we chose what we chose, but we have this opportunity with the brand slogan kind of being 'celebrate everything,' and want everybody to feel important," Sarah Beth said.

For larger orders, including 16-foot graze tables, the couple sets up the full spread on-site. Every order is prepared fresh, with hand-sliced Boars Head meats and artisan cheeses alongside dips, hummus, pickles and jam made in house. The menu includes wine-pairing boards, brunch boards with hard-boiled eggs and pastries, a football-shaped salami centerpiece for game day and a holiday board with a cheese and rosemary sprig wreath.

The Bayou Boulevard site lets the couple cater to nearby hospital and office workers ordering quick lunches. Local owners can adjust the base menu, such as making items gluten-free or adding extra meat, and the franchise has recently added a sandwich line for office lunches and tailgates. The store is open from 10 a.m. To 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and the couple may accept orders on Sunday and Monday with at least 24 hours' notice.

Graze Craze's Run of Openings

Graze Craze opened its first Wisconsin location in Brookfield on July 6, an 1,800-square-foot shop, Yahoo reported. The company had 130 franchise locations across 36 states at the time. In September, Graze Craze opened a Greensboro location in Dover Square, according to American City Business Journals.

How Other Chains Are Expanding

Cotton Patch Cafe, acquired by Local Favorite Restaurants in June, plans its first full year under the group in 2027 with 46 locations and expects revenue to grow roughly 8% or more next year, American City Business Journals reported on November 9. The Planning and Zoning commission in Southington unanimously approved a project splitting a 5,020-square-foot building into a 2,500-square-foot CAVA and a 2,520-square-foot Panda Express, with openings expected in 2027, the Hartford Business Journal reported on November 2. Dog Haus opens its Ohio location on November 13 at 1576 N. High St. Near Ohio State, Yahoo reported on November 10.

What Comes Next for the Drivers

The Drivers may expand with additional locations down the road, and they hope to gift boxes to new parents after delivery. "It (the business) is really to take care of ourselves, take care of others, and then give more is what we want to do," David said. The couple suggests calling ahead or ordering online for holiday orders through grazecraze.com.