Tickets On Sale for USF Sarasota-Manatee’s Brunch on the Bay 

October 18, 2023 – Sarasota

Tickets remain on sale for Brunch on the Bay, the annual marquee fundraiser benefitting student scholarships and campus initiatives at USF Sarasota-Manatee.

A major feature of the Nov. 5 event will be a new assortment of fine foods and drinks presented by some two dozen restaurants and caterers in Manatee and Sarasota counties. Toastique, Constellation Catering, The Barnyard and Bird Rock Taco Shop will join longtime favorites like Michael’s on East, Grove, Mattison’s, and Pier 22. Menu items will include eggs Benedict, blueberry pancakes, smoked salmon, lobster tails, toasted falafel and bananas Foster. There also will be vegetarian and other options.

Co-chairing this year’s Brunch on the Bay are Lisa Krouse and Rod Hershberger, leading figures in the Sarasota-Manatee business community. USF Federal Credit Union is the event’s title sponsor.

This year’s Brunch on Bay on will take place under a large tent on the campus, near where a new student center and residence hall are under construction. When it opens in the fall of 2024, the $42 million building will be home for up to 200 USF students who will enjoy the first chance to live on the 17-year-old Sarasota-Manatee campus.

Also being planned for along the Clyde Nixon Courtyard is a $61.7 million Nursing/STEM building that will allow the Sarasota-Manatee campus to expand its academic and research offerings.

“We look forward to welcoming our friends and supporters to the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus so we can share with them our excitement and they can see how we are growing,” said campus Regional Chancellor Karen Holbrook.

“Most people don’t realize the expansion that’s going on and how many more students USF will be able to serve because of the dollars that are brought in by Brunch on the Bay and the scholarships that we’re creating,” Hershberger said. “It’s just a wonderful time to mingle and hang out with friends, and then realize what good you’re doing while you’re having some fun.”

For ticket and sponsorship information, as well as a list of participating restaurants, visit sarasotamanatee.usf.edu/brunch.