The Jacksonville Fire Marshal issued a cease-and-desist order Jan. 23 to J.L. Trent’s Downtown Cafe, permanently closing it.
The restaurant has operated on the concourse level of the BB&T Tower at 200 W. Forsyth St. for three years.
The fire marshal cited unsafe electrical wiring, multiple code violations, no certificate of use and the unapproved cooking operation as reasons for issuing the order.
Owner Deena Trent said to get the restaurant up to code, she would have to install a hood and ventilation system from the restaurant to the outside, which would cost around $50,000.
Trent said her initial investment to open Downtown was around $70,000.
She said in past inspections, the ventilation system was deemed to be up to code.
Trent said she isn’t sure if she will reopen the restaurant elsewhere. She still operates J.L. Trent’s Seafood at 4553 120th St. in the Yukon area of West Jacksonville.
She said the six employees Downtown will work at the restaurant’s remaining location. Trent said her husband, James, and two children, James II and Raygan, also worked at the restaurant.
“It was an all-of-the-sudden thing,” Trent said. “Our first priority was getting our food out so that it didn’t go bad.”
Trent and the employees were cleaning out the restaurant Jan. 24, a task she expected to be completed by the end of the day.
Ash Properties purchased BB&T Tower in July 2018. Ash Properties representatives were unavailable for comment.
