Depot 303 in finishing stages before grand opening in downtown Mulberry

FOX 13's Carla Bayron reports.

MULBERRY, Fla. - The city's newest hub for dining and gathering is in its finishing stages before its grand opening.

Depot 303 is located at 303 NW First Avenue in the heart of downtown Mulberry.

READ: RFK Jr. says states can – and should – block soda from food stamps benefits

Inside Depot 303

Pizza Odyssey got its start inside a convenience store in Lakeland, and now it's opening its second location at the brand new food hall.

"A lot of pizza places will cook inside a pan or on a screen, but we cook directly on a stone so you're going to get a crust from us that you can't get from a franchise," said Heath Hester, the owner of Pizza Odyssey.

Dig deeper:

The food hall will house seven restaurants that feature a variety of different cuisines from American, Asian, Italian and Southern comfort. There will also be a full bar with craft cocktails and beer on tap. The building itself is able to seat nearly 300 people.

Follow FOX 13 on YouTube

Jon Bucklew founded The Joinery in downtown Lakeland, which was the first food hall in Central Florida. Currently, he's helping to run Depot 303, which he said will bring a lot of new jobs to the area.

"Let's say we have eight vendors functioning plus the house, so if you take nine of those, and they're averaging between eight and fifteen employees a piece, you're going to get hundreds of jobs brought into this community," said Bucklew.

Development in Mulberry

Local perspective:

With more people moving to the area, the city hopes Depot 303 will inspire the downtown district to become a prime place for future development.

The Community Redevelopment Agency paid for the $3-4 million project.

MORE: You could win whiskey for life, but you’ll need to be well over 21 to enter

Hester said he thinks this will be a good thing for Mulberry and more convenient for fans of his pizza.

"I have a lot of customers that drive from Mulberry to Lakeland to have our pizza, so I have a lot of people excited we're going to be on the southside of Lakeland," said Hester.

An inspiring space for the community to have a bite to eat, to meet friends and to spend the afternoon.

What's next:

There will be a pre-launch party at Depot 303 this Saturday, April 5, and Sunday, April 6, between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., a soft opening the following Friday, and then finally the grand opening in May.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered through interviews with Pizza Odyssey owner Heath Hester and Jon Bucklew, who helps run Depot 303.

WATCH FOX 13 NEWS:

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: