KISS rockers Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons announced plans Friday to expand Rock & Brews, their family friendly restaurant brand, into Florida.
The first is set to open in Oviedo, a suburb of Orlando, in November. Stanley and Simmons will host a grand-opening event in January.
Terry Wills, president of Wills Communications Inc., said Monday the area franchisee would like to open a Rock & Brews in all major Florida markets, “and Jacksonville is one of the markets they are interested in.”
RestaurantNews.com reported they chose multiunit franchise operator R&B Florida LLC to open several locations throughout the state.
R&B Florida LLC comprises owners that include Regional Managing Partner Scott Paul, who was the managing partner for Outback Steakhouse and worked at three Orlando locations for more than 12 years, the news site reported.
Rockandbrews.com says the first restaurant opened in April 2012 in the California beach community of El Segundo near Los Angeles International Airport.
The 7,500-square-foot Rock & Brews Oviedo will feature the brand’s signature American comfort food, and a full bar that includes one of the area’s largest selections of international and local craft beers and premium wines, the site said.
Seating is indoors or on heated and cooled patios. The restaurant will be dog-friendly and offer a play area for children.
The franchise agreement with R&B Florida LLC is the third of several multiunit operating partners that Rock & Brews is engaging for regional expansion. The restaurant chain is based in El Segundo.
Restaurantnews.com said Stanley, Simmons and co-founding partners restaurateur-hotelier Michael Zislis and concert industry veterans Dave and Dell Furano are planning for worldwide expansion.
Seven Rock & Brews operate in California (El Segundo, Redondo Beach and LAX Airport); Albuquerque; Overland Park, Kan.; Maui, Hawaii; and Los Cabos, Mexico.
R&B Florida is based in Phoenix and registered April 24 in Florida. Paul is based in Tampa. Other members are Perry Mann of Phoenix and Brett Anz of Plano, Texas, who are co-founders and equity partners in TradeCorLLC and BV Development.
Panera hub won’t have dine-in
The Panera Bread catering hub under development at 13740 Beach Blvd., No. 112, is not designed for dine-in or takeout. Instead, it focuses on delivery and production.
The St. Louis-based chain is creating catering hubs that will cover two to five cafes so the individual restaurants can focus on the retail business and not be sidetracked by catering orders.
The chain already has rolled out its Panera 2.0 conversion of online and digital ordering options. Panera said it will renovate all 17 Jacksonville-area cafes to fit the 2.0 conversion. If a catering hub serves two to five cafes, the Jacksonville market could support three to
The catering hubs were another step. Panera doesn’t have confirmed plans for additional hubs in the area, however.
Earth Fare adding checkout lane
Earth Fare is adding a checkout lane to its new Jacksonville store, which opened Aug. 20, bringing the total to eight lanes.
To accommodate the change, Earth Fare is renovating its café area, but the number of seats won’t change. The construction should be completed this month.
A permit for the project at 11901 Atlantic Blvd. includes adjusting a refrigerated cooler area.
The Fletcher, N.C.-based natural and organic food chain sees Jacksonville as a three- to four-store market.
Restaurants on the rise
• Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers filed building plans for a 108-seat restaurant at 14026 Beach Blvd. The first Jacksonville location for the Wichita, Kan.-based chain should open next spring.
• The Dillon Cafeteria at St. Vincent’s Medical Center Dillon Cafeteria at 3 Shircliff Way is being renovated to include Chick-fil-A.
• A coffee shop with a drive-thru is planned at Huffman Commons at Huffman Boulevard and Beach Boulevard.
• V Pizza will open its second Jacksonville location by year-end at 528 N. First St. in Jacksonville Beach, north of Lynch’s Irish Pub. The first opened in San Marco. Owners say they are looking for two more area locations. V Pizza’s baked menu items are fired up at almost 1,000 degrees in imported custom hand-built Stefano Ferrara Artisan wood-burning ovens. It takes less than two minutes to bake a pizza.
Licensed to serve
Duval County Tax Collector Michael Corrigan issued business licenses for:
• Fla Restaurant & Lounge Inc., to Tameka Hilliard, 243 Edgewood Ave. S. Paula Jules is president of Fla Restaurant & Lounge Inc.
• Metro Diner, to MD Roosevelt LLC, 4495 Roosevelt Blvd., No. 408.
• Oscar’s Smokehouse BBQ Products LLC, to Oscar Jerrod Swangin Jr., 9381 Arbor Glen Lane. Mobile vendor
• Patel Brothers, to Patel Brothers of Jacksonville LLC, 9551 Baymeadows Road.
• Thai Cuisine & Noodle House, to Gin Inc., 11701 San Jose Blvd. No. 28.
• Jax Diner, to Jax Restaurant Interests LLC, 5065 St Augustine Road.
• Captain O’s, to Captain O’s Inc., 9501 Arlington Expressway, Food Court No. 2.
• Thyme Down South, to Madd Chef Experience LLC, 2021 St. Augustine Road, No. 3.
• Blue Sage Cuisine LLC, to Jasmin Wooden, 11431 Mandarin Ridge Lane.
• Jax Kitchen LLC, to Vance Cole Stallings, 1850 Emerson St.
• Von Zippers Mexican Grill, to Eric T. Walter, 1604 Beech St., Fernandina Beach. Mobile vendor.
Dining sign
• Firehouse Subs, 9660 Argyle Forest Blvd., No. 5.
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