Players Locker Room has replaced Players Grille – Miramar.
Beau Ward and Dawn Kenney bought the business June 4 from Phil and Megan Visali. All declined to disclose the sale price.
The 4,900-square-foot restaurant at 4456 Hendricks Ave. will remain a sports bar, Kenney said.
The sign will temporarily continue to read “Players Grille” until city permits are filed.
Ward and Kenney have restaurant experience. Most recently Kenney was a partner in The Wine Bar in Jacksonville Beach. She also operated a barbecue restaurant in Texas. Ward has owned a Cajun-themed restaurant in South Florida.
Kenney said she had been looking for a Jacksonville restaurant property for more than a year. They heard that the Visalis might be interested in an offer.
The deal took about four months to come to terms, she said.
The decision to sell was a matter of too many projects and not enough time, Phil Visali said.
“We were just looking both at our current operations and what’s in the future, and what we’re trying to implement going forward,” Phil Visali said
“And we thought a reorganization would be best. It’s a manpower issue. We don’t really want to be overstretched. And we feel like, we’re just trying to find a good balance.”
He owns Players Grille – Mandarin at 10140 San Jose Blvd. and Players Grille – Oakleaf at 1075 Oakleaf Plantation Parkway near Orange Park.
Players Grille is opening a new restaurant in the Home2 Suites hotel at 600 Park St. in Brooklyn. It is expected to open before the regular NFL season begins.
Visali is also preparing an event space, The Prudential Club. It will have a restaurant, garden area, bar and liquor store, tentatively called 904 Liquors, at 1430 Prudential Drive, the former American Cancer Society offices. The building is 12,000 square feet. It will be open by the end of the year, Visalis said.
Changes will be made to the Players Locker Room decor and menu, Kenney said. However, they will not happen all at once. She expects replacing the floor may be the largest project.
Other changes will include bringing back trivia night and adding bands. An unused back room will be made available for dance classes. Women and Wine Wednesday, a networking opportunity, will happen every third Wednesday from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
The wine list will be expanded and craft cocktails will be served.
“We want to add things like oversized stuffed baked potatoes and smoked rib-eyes. But nothing will change for the next two weeks,” she said.
All of the staff has been invited to remain and a few more are expected to be hired. The staff will be dressed in referee-inspired uniforms.