by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
With months of negotiations and speculation finally behind him, restaurateur Robert Humphries signed a contract Monday morning, officially reserving the commercial space in the W.A. Knight Building on West Adams Street.
Humphries, who currently manages his family-owned Shogun Steak and Seafood in Orange Park, said the doors will open at former downtown staple Ieyasu by early October.
“I’m so excited,” said Humphries. “I got my keys today. I’m meeting with Ben Broadfoot, the engineer, tomorrow and we’ll talk about some of the different design elements. After that, we should have some construction guys in there within two weeks. Ben is a family friend and he’ll also oversee the construction.”
Humphries has already put in his notice at Shogun, where his brother is expected to take the helm.
“My days are going to be very busy for a while, but it’s going to be fantastic,” he said. “The entire area is really taking off and I say the more the merrier.”
Further feeding the need to move forward on the project was the reaction from the public.
“It’s been unbelievable,” said Humphries. “The City, and everyone else, have been so supportive. It’s taken on a life of its own.”
Lisa King of Langton Associates — the development firm behind the rejuvenation of the Knight Building — said she couldn’t be more pleased with the arrangement.
“He is exactly the kind of tenant we wanted,” she said. “He’s a businessman with a proven track record who knows what he’s doing. It took a little while, but we’re all looking forward to his opening.”
Though having a clear idea of what he wants from his latest venture, Humphries was at a loss for words on how to describe what it will look like.
“If you’ve ever been to Tokyo, it would be easy to explain,” he said. “Basically, it will have a very streamlined, modern look. Very Tokyo.”