There’s now a date for Jacksonville customers looking for $46 tropical cocktails, Instagrammable walls and couture lollipops.
Sugar Factory American Brasserie said in Twitter post it plans to open Dec. 26 at The Markets at Town Center.
"JACKSONVILLE, we're coming back for you baby!" it says in the Dec. 10 post.
The reservation page lists prices as $31-$50.
It says hours will be 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
"We're celebrating 10+ years serving the most decadent sweets and treats around the world."
The restaurant is at 4910 Big Island Drive, the former Brio Tuscan Grille.
The chain's website offers a different date, saying the restaurant will open Jan. 9.
Las Vegas-based Sugar Factory said Oct. 18 it planned to open in late winter but did not provide a date.
“Sugar Factory has brought its high-energy dining experience to guests at locations throughout Florida – including Miami, Tampa, Orlando and Aventura – so Jacksonville was a natural choice for our next destination,” the company said in 2021, when it planned to open in late spring 2022.
It said it looks forward to bringing “a sweet escape for guests of all ages to the Jacksonville community.”
The Big Island Drive restaurant was built in 2012 for lease to Brio, which closed in January 2020.
The city issued a permit March 9 for Blue Dolphin Construction LLC to renovate the closed Brio for Sugar Factory at a cost of $2.5 million.
Sugar Factory will lease the 8,535-foot-square building, which also has outdoor areas.
It said it will have 179 seats in the main dining area, 20 bar stool seats and 107 outdoor patio seats. That totals 306 seats.
Renderings show an open, light-filled restaurant with a video wall in the main dining area; a retail candy store to the left of the entrance and a Candy Heart Wall to the right; the bar; outdoor patio dining; and two Instagram flower walls.
Sugar Factory did not disclose the lease terms.
The Markets at Town Center includes Sugar Factory on its directory as “opening Fall 2022” at marketsattowncenter.com,
The Markets at Town Center site says:
“SUGAR FACTORY American Brasserie, the self-proclaimed sweetest place on Earth, is known for its celebrity sightings, over-the-top sundaes, candy-colored cocktails and decadent milkshakes. They also offer savory dishes such as pasta, steaks and burgers.”
It says the location is across from Nordstrom Rack.
Sugar Factory did not say how people it will hire and directs candidates to watch sugarfactory.com for information.
It said it looked forward to becoming a part of the Jacksonville community and hiring “fun-loving and hard-working employees.”
Sugar Factory is known for its couture lollipops, celebrity sightings and tropical cocktails up to almost $50.
Sugar Factory’s LinkedIn site says the company made confections part of the popular culture and turned its Couture Pops into a designer accessory, with stars such as Britney Spears, Drake, Kim Kardashian, Eva Longoria and others photographed with the sparkly lollipops.
The company said that from the moment guests step into Sugar Factory, “they’ll be immersed in Instagrammable moments.”
It offers an Instagram feature cafe in the front; indoor-outdoor dining and a bar with operable doors to a large outdoor patio with a trellis and lighting; and a large video wall. There will be a flower and candy wall.
Plans show the entrance will open to the dining area, with a retail store to the former private dining to the left and the Candy Heart Lounge to the right.
As with Brio, there are outdoor dining and lounge areas. The bar remains a central feature in the back part of the property.
“I think it will be super successful,” said Kelly Pulignano, vice president of The Shopping Center Group, in April.
She and The Shopping Center Group partner and Senior Vice President Stephanie McCullough represented the former landlord, Hines, in the lease deal.
Sugar Factory has been taking steps to open.
• Sugar Factory American Brasserie registered its fictitious name with state Dec. 8. SF Jacksonville 88 LLC, based in Spring Lake, New Jersey, is listed with the state as the owner. The limited liability company’s manager includes Black Star Hospitality Group LLC in Las Vegas. Sugar Factory is part of Black Star.
• The city issued permits Oct. 17 for Taylor Sign & Design Inc. to put up two Sugar Factory signs at a project cost of $9,000. The signs are for Sugar Factory American Brasserie on the front and back of the building.
• A mechanical permit was issued June 17 at $18,600 to replace the HVAC diffusers, which disperse the airflow from ductwork.
• The city issued an electrical permit May 24 for Benchmark Electric LLC for lights and electrical outlets at a job cost of $100,000 for Sugar Factory Jacksonville 88 LLC.
The sugarfactory.com website lists 23 U.S. locations in 13 states, with three coming soon in Jacksonville, Miami and Houston, and several open internationally.
Its five Florida locations are listed as two in Miami/Aventura and at ICON Park in Orlando, the Tampa Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Jacksonville.
Jacksonville and Bayside in Miami are listed as coming soon.
The online menu for the Tampa location shows appetizers, soups and sides, sandwiches, burgers, pasta, pancakes and waffles and grilled entrees. There also is a brunch menu.
Prices include a $15 grilled cheese, $14 Caesar salad, $19 club sandwich, $19 signature burger, $20 spaghetti marinara, $25 sesame chicken stir fry, $27 chicken and waffles, $33 pan-roasted salmon and a $49 filet.
Sides are $8-$10.
There also are milkshakes that start at $13, sundaes and other desserts.
The “World Famous Sugar Factory King Kong Sundae” is $99 and serves 12.
An extensive specialty cocktail menu online includes $46 drinks, such as a strawberry lemonade smash, classic watermelon pina colada and raspberry watermelon mojito. Nonalcoholic versions are $39.
Sugar Factory hosts parties, weddings and other events, as well.
