Panda Express Chinese Kitchen could replace the closed Pollo Tropical in Regency Park.
JEA issued a service availability letter Nov. 29 for a 3,858-square-foot quick-service single-story restaurant and drive-thru at 9370 Atlantic Blvd., where Pollo Tropical was built in 2015 but has closed.
CPH LLC of Jacksonville is the civil engineer and applicant. The site is between Chili’s and Chick-fil-A.
The application does not indicate whether Panda Express will build a new restaurant or renovate the existing building, which also is shown on a property record as 3,858 square feet.
Miami-based Pollo Operations Inc. bought the almost 1-acre property in February 2015 from Hess Retail Stores LLC. It had been a Hess gas station.
Duval County property records show Pollo Operations sold the site in September 2020 to B&P Realty and Management LLC and Lenlo Realty LLC, both of New York City, but bought it back Sept. 25, 2023, for $2.4 million.
North Coast Construction Co. built the Pollo Tropical, which focused on Caribbean-inspired citrus-marinated grilled chicken.
Pollo Tropical Citrus Marinated Chicken has three locations in Jacksonville in Town Center, River City Marketplace and near Mandarin Corners.
Panda Express has at least 15 locations in Northeast Florida, including at the University of North Florida and at Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport.
Rosemead, California-based Panda Restaurant Group is the parent company of Panda Express, a family-owned Asian dining concept.
Pandarg.com says Panda Express was founded in 1983 at the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, California. It has more than 2,300 stores, 47,000 associates and $3 billion in sales,
Its website shows 2,394 restaurants across the country and in Puerto Rico and Guam.
There are 601 stores in California, 310 in Texas and 118 in Florida, followed by 115 in Arizona and 112 in Illinois.