M Shack will close its Riverside location on Saturday, but the space won’t be vacant long.
Another Broken Egg Cafe franchise owner James Buckner said he looked across Jacksonville for a space to open the breakfast-brunch-lunch chain, but he said the M Shack location at 1021 Margaret St. couldn’t be beat.
“It’s just what we’re looking for in a location,” Buckner said. “It’s got a fully functioning bar, a kitchen the size we need, the square footage. If you could think of an ideal situation, that was it.”
Buckner approached M Shack owners Matthew and David Medure to take over the space.
Matthew Medure said it made “good sense” to close the M Shack restaurant and turn the space over to Buckner. The brothers will open Midtown Table at Gateway Village at Town Center in January, which Matthew Medure said contributed to the choice to close M Shack in Riverside.
“It was a tough decision, but it was just a really good deal,” he said. “I think Another Broken Egg would really like the space a lot.”
Buckner said renovations for Another Broken Egg will begin next week, and he plans on it being completed by February.
There are two Another Broken Egg restaurants in Jacksonville, but they are owned by Jake Alleman. Buckner said he was inspired to open a franchise after seeing his brother do the same with three Another Broken Egg restaurants in Huntsville, Alabama.
Matthew Medure said the Riverside M Shack was doing “decent business,” similar to its Nocatee location. It also has a location at the St. Johns Town Center and in Atlantic Beach.
The Medure brothers operate Matthew’s Restaurant, Restaurant Medure and Rue Saint-Marc.
Property records show that Retail Properties Inc., led by Peter Sleiman, owns the Riverside building at 1012 Margaret St.
The deal to turn the space over to Buckner had been in negotiation for several months. When it became more clear the Riverside location would close, the Medure brothers decided to test new menu items, as well as full table service at dinner. That began Oct. 12 and helped them see what was working, and what customers wanted changed.
“We just took that opportunity to test things out,” Matthew Medure said. “We can focus on how to set up the M Shacks for the next 10 years. Medure said the company is looking at expansion sites further south, possibly the World Golf Village area.
He added he wouldn’t rule out returning to Riverside if an appropriate space became available, but opening outside Northeast Florida likely wouldn’t happen.
He said employees at the Riverside location would be able to take positions at other Medure Brothers restaurants.