by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
Businesses continue to evolve at The Landing in Downtown Jacksonville and some of the changes have occurred at two neighboring businesses.
Chicago Pizza plans to open its third restaurant in Jacksonville at The Landing in September and the buzz of power tools signals progress being made on the renovations to the former Ruby Tuesdays restaurant. Chicago Pizza will provide the Downtown area with a “true” sports bar.
“That was part of the consideration when we were looking at locations for our next restaurant,” said Jimmy DeMarco, general manager of the newest Chicago Pizza. “Downtown is a little bit of a risk, but it is a risk worth taking. We need to develop Downtown.”
Originally from Pittsburgh, DeMarco has lived in Florida for the past 25 years and has been with Chicago Pizza for about a year. The restaurant chain has two other locations in Jacksonville, Philips Highway, which is a Steelers stronghold during football season, and Jacksonville Beach, which added Rush Street lounge to accompany its restaurant in May.
Having two other locations open in the area helps with training new staff for The Landing restaurant and DeMarco plans to hire a staff that will fluctuate between 15-30 people depending on the time of year and special events.
“Hiring a staff will not be a problem with the way the economy is right now,” said DeMarco. “We get in applications at our other restaurants every day.”
The restaurant plans to feature wall-to-wall plasma screen televisions for the enjoyment of its patrons and it will also offer patio dining with a full bar outside.
Chicago Pizza’s upstairs neighbor hasn’t had to undergo such a physically demanding change, but the business helps improve people’s physical well being.
The former Gold’s Gym is now Just Fitness 4 U, a fitness chain that offers two different models of gyms.
“One model offers a gym with all the amenities,” said Lori Johnson, a manager at Just Fitness 4 U. “The other is just a gym. (The second model) offers a more economized membership for our customers.”
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