J.C. Newman Cigar Co. Hires 100 for Ybor City Hotel & Restaurants

J.C. Newman Cigar Co. hosted a two-day hiring event this week, recruiting 100 workers for its upcoming hotel, restaurant, and cigar lounge in Ybor City. The job fair took place Tuesday, Sept. 22, and Wednesday, Sept. 23, at the El Reloj factory.

The company seeks to fill the hospitality positions across three new venues opening in approximately nine weeks. Located across from America’s last working cigar factory, the establishments include The Inn at El Reloj, a boutique hotel; Elaine’s, an American food restaurant; and Stanford’s Cigar Club, a lounge for cigar enthusiasts. Available roles range from cooks and dishwashers to bartenders and back-office staff.

Drew Newman, fourth-generation owner of J.C. Newman Cigar Co., highlighted the initiative’s historical connection. “We’re recruiting 100 people to help us tell the story of Tampa’s history as Cigar City,” Newman said. “The cigar industry built Tampa 140 years ago, and it’s our privilege to keep this tradition alive and to share it with future generations.”

The new businesses will occupy the historic Sanchez y Haya Building, originally opened in 1910. The Newman family restored the structure, which had sat empty for decades, to preserve Tampa’s cigar-making past. The job fair was held in the El Reloj factory's hospitality room at 2701 N. 16th St. in Tampa. Applicants who missed the event can submit applications online via the company’s careers page.