by Monica Chamness
Staff Writer
With the Super Bowl coming to town in 2005, the River City Purveyors are targeting downtown to open a working model restaurant by late 2003.
“We want to do something for the city, for the students, for the industry, help some people’s lives and then get the heck out,” said Chuck Powell of Advanced Insurance Underwriters, a Purveyor member and the force behind the restaurant.
The Purveyors are a group of 35 entrepreneurs in dining and related industries formed in 1995 who want to increase visibility of their wares while at the same time provide a forum for local culinary students to hone their skills.
The working model restaurant fills both criteria.
Here’s how it works: members are asked to donate certain products or services such as wine, vegetables, equipment and landscaping for a set period of time. In return, they will receive advertising at the restaurant. Whether the name recognition will be placed on menus or elsewhere has not been determined.
Not intended to compete with other restaurants, the Purveyors wish to position the restaurant as a learning tool for FCCJ students.
Other local schools may be included at some point.
Scholarships will be offered to needy students and the dollar amount and number of scholarships will depend on the viability of the operation.
The idea started as a trade show for FCCJ.
“We were going to offer it to FCCJ so when they graduate from the culinary arts school they would have a little bit of an idea of what they would need in the buying world as to what’s out there,” said Powell.
The working-model restaurant is a continuation of this idea.
Such a small group, albeit growing in number, is limited to what they can afford to contribute. That’s where local government steps in.
“We’re leaning on the City for help,” said Powell. “We’re developing a plan that Mike Weinstein asked us to piece together.”
Although a location has not been determined, the group is partial towards the Alltel Stadium area. It’s possible the concept may tie into The Shipyards project as well.
“We want to have it centered around the Super Bowl time,” said Powell. “The City is trying to promote the area and we think it would complement each other.”
Once the Super Bowl is done and the crowds go home, the Purveyors will debate whether to continue operations or liquidate the venture.
“The success of the restaurant will dictate [our decision],” he said. “It’s going to be a non-profit so the funds will go towards the industry. Restaurants traditionally have a high failure rate. We think ours will be successful because we are going in providing upfront required supplies to open up. Our board of directors and members of the Purveyors deal every day with restaurants which combined with the schools, we’ll allow us to trouble shoot. It will keep them from getting in a jam.”
Hoping to open their doors without fixed debt, the organization is interested in leasing an existing building instead of buying or building a new one.
Ken Dean of InTech Communications Group will be in charge of managing the restaurant based on instructions from the board of directors.
“He [Dean] will start interviewing when the time is right,” said Powell. “It would be disastrous to have all the members try to come in and manage it daily. I don’t want to scare people off thinking they’ll get hit by a room full of salespeople. There will be subtle [advertising] displays.”
Targeting students or potential students as staff, all workers will be salaried with an estimated 50 needed to cover the 2,000-plus square feet they plan on occupying.
Students will be given a great deal of latitude to explore their cooking abilities, but because it will be open to the public, staples such as wings and burgers will likely be served as well.
Open to the general public, the restaurant’s menu will rotate weekly with prices set by formulas accepted in the industry.
Plans include seating for 200 and upscale, gourmet cuisine.
“I’d like to keep the atmosphere Jacksonville local, kind of semi-tropical,” said Powell.