Community Corner

A Haunting In Tarpon Springs?

Employees at a local establishment recently shared some spooky happenings with Patch.

Built in 1975, the building that is currently known as Riverside Grille House has quite a history, which makes the following tales not seem so tall. 

Located on the historic sponge docks, Riverside Grille House used to be home to the world famous Pappas Restaurant. An impressive layout of the grounds yields a slew of space as well as original rooms.

From a laundry room where staff used to wash linens to a generator the size of a small boat, there is a lot going on inside 10 Dodecanese Boulevard in Tarpon Springs.

According to Riverside Grille House Manager, Crystal Falanga, she has experienced a couple of eerie instances.

On one particular occasion, Falanga said she distinctly remembered turning off the lights at the end of the night. However, when she went to take the elevator downstairs, the lights were still on. Falanga said she didn't think much of it until she went back and forth to the breakers twice until the lights finally stayed off. 

That same night, Falanga said on her way downstairs she heard a "rattling back and forth" noise. She said it sounded like plates or dishes being shuffled, which was odd because the restaurant was closed and she was the only person left in the building.

"At that point, I just kind of bailed and got out of there because it was really scary," Falanga said.

To echo Falanga's claim of a possible presence, executive chef, Mark Thomas said he has heard a number of stories and witnessed the unexplainable firsthand.
 
Thomas said he was told about a similar situation to Falanga's with the lights, but the rattling noise was something he'd heard and seen before.

On random occasions, Thomas said plates along the line where food is prepared in the kitchen would rattle violently and sometimes even fall to the floor, causing them to break. 

This happened so often, according to Thomas, that the plates were relocated to a different shelf altogether. 

"We've never had mean spirits, but you can feel something," Thomas said. 

What do you think, Tarpon Springs? Are these stories enough to convince you that there's more than just an old building at 10 Dodecanese Boulevard?

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