By David Ball
Staff Writer
While working at City Hall for three years as a senior investment analyst, Kevin Grant noticed one thing – a limited supply of fresh doughnuts and bagels, of course.
Now, less than a year after leaving the city, 39-year-old Grant is less than two weeks away from opening such an eatery, called Bread and Butter Cafe, just footsteps from City Hall on the corner of Adams and Laura streets.
Grant said patrons will be offered freshly made doughnuts and bagels each day along with several varieties of coffee, lattes, and salads and sandwiches for lunch.
“We feel this is a prime location for this kind of business,” said Grant. “You’ll be able to get some good fresh food, sit down and watch TV or use your laptop (with free wireless access), or you can just grab and go.”
The cafe’s name may be apropos, as Grant hopes the business will be a successful launch for his new company, Quantum Investments.
“This is the first big venture for our group, and we thought of it as being our bread and butter,” said Grant, who is CEO and COO of the group he formed with seven other members, including his sister, Shirley Mulkey, in January 2004.
“We have an array of backgrounds,” said Grant. “Two of our partners are in medical, two are CPAs and one is a police officer.”
Grant is originally from Ocala and earned his economics degree from Florida State University. He worked in banking across Florida and in Texas before coming to Jacksonville 13 years ago after some cajoling from his sister.
“I told him how much I loved Jacksonville, and it had more to offer,” said Mulkey, whose husband, a retired Navy officer, will be running the day-to-day operations of the cafe.
Grant said he definitely saw a business opportunity in Jacksonville, particularly Downtown, and he hopes his group can be a part of that growth.
“Our investment plan is to go into real estate, franchising and other areas,” said Grant. “We would like to grow and start more Bread and Butters in the future.
“There’s heavy foot traffic here now,” he added, “but with what’s happening near here, with the City purchasing the Ed Ball building, that traffic is going to increase.”
Bread and Butter Cafe will be open from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. daily during the summer, although Grant said a grand opening date has not been finalized.