by Amy Limbert
Staff Writer
Jon Insetta and Jason Parry grew up in Jacksonville, and one thing they remember from childhood is eating at The Loop Pizza Grill.
Their memories are so fond that the two, who own Happy Ending Development, have decided to open a Loop franchise downtown.
Insetta and Parry will open The Loop at 20 W. Adams St. on the first floor, across the street from The Carling, a recently refurbished apartment building.
The restaurant is scheduled to open some time in the first quarter of 2006, which also marks The Loop’s 25th anniversary.
Happy memories of The Loop were not the only thing that drew Insetta, 27, and Parry, 33, to the restaurant endeavor. The ongoing revitalization of Downtown — from the new library to The Carling — also inspired them.
“The beauty of the area and the rejuvenation shows,” said Insetta, who also is a downtown resident living in 11E. “This is a great opportunity to take advantage it. There is business to be had.”
Parry added that the wave of residential development downtown will provide a built-in customer base.
“We hope to generate traffic all day,” Parry said. “We want to be the neighborhood hangout.”
To accommodate the residents downtown and build a steady customer base, The Loop will have beer and wine service, including a happy hour, as well as a full-service coffee bar, said Parry. The eatery also will be open for dinner.
Besides being the chain’s first downtown restaurant (there is a San Marco location), this location also will debut The Loop’s new interior design. Designer Larry Wilson is the mastermind behind the redesign, which will feature warm colors and wood tones in a modern, urban environment, Parry said.
Insetta said they “fell in love with the space” at 20 W. Adams St. immediately. The restaurant will cover 5,025 square feet of space and is the first tenant in the building. Parry said the building, which is undergoing $6.7 million in renovations, will be a mixed-use property.
The Loop, which isn’t hiring for the downtown location yet, will have about 50 employees.