Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs to open first area store in late spring
Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs plans to open at 5921 University Blvd. W., its first Jacksonville location, in late spring, said founder Bill Baer.
Baer said in an email the company has an area development agreement with a group that is planning to open two restaurants this year in the Jacksonville market.
He said the typical Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs shop is 2,000-3,000 square feet in size and staffs 12-20 full- and part-time employees.
"The Baldinos concept was initially intended to service military bases throughout the Southeast. I was in the USMC stationed in Jacksonville, N.C., and could not find a submarine sandwich that was anywhere close to the sub shops that I grew up with in N.J.," Baer said in the email.
"When I got out of the service in 1974, I went back to the best sub shop in my area and learned how to prepare the subs and bake the rolls," he said.
Five months later, he opened the first Baldinos outside Fort Bragg, N.C., he said.
He said he opened shops near military bases in North Carolina and Georgia and through a franchise agreement opened shops outside of other military bases in Georgia and South Carolina before base closures began.
"In 1991, we moved to Atlanta and opened in a traditional commercial market and have been overwhelmed with the popularity of our subs," he said.
"I opened one more shop in the Atlanta market in 1997 and have been so busy for the past 15 years that I chose not to expand the concept — until now," he said.
He said that during Baldinos' brief period of franchising, it had a contract for development of the Jacksonville market. He said he terminated the agreement when the company stopped franchising.
"However, I have always thought that Jacksonville would be a great market for our product and we are excited to kick off our new franchising program here," he said.
The first Jacksonville Baldinos is planned in a 2,250-square-foot space. A building permit application shows Willis Contractors LLC as the contractor for the $40,000 project.
Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs is based in Marietta, Ga. Its baldinos.us website says Baldinos bakes its rolls daily and that all meats are sliced fresh in view of the customer.
A menu on the website includes cold and hot subs as well as grilled and toasted subs. Hot subs include steak, chicken, meatballs, sausage Italiano and vegetarian stir-fry.
The menu also offers spaghetti, salads, sides and sweets.
"All of our stores showcase our baking, slicing cold cuts fresh as ordered and our hot subs from the grill, as will this location," Baer said.
McDonald's Downtown taking shape, University shop being renovated
The City issued permits for nine signs and a flagpole for the McDonald's under construction Downtown at 253 E. State St. at a project cost of $25,000. It also issued a roofing permit at a project cost of $40,000.
Signsharks Sign Service Inc. is the sign contractor and Dal Mar Roofing Industries Inc. is the roofing contractor.
The former Warren Motors building Downtown at 233 E. State St. was demolished and the 1.5-acre site is being developed with a McDonald's and a Family Dollar store.
Warren Motors President Ellis Warren moved the dealership business to 4530 Brentwood Ave., east of Interstate 95 and north of Downtown.
Meanwhile, the City has approved a permit for renovations of McDonald's at 3750 University Blvd. W. Southland Construction Inc. is shown as the contractor to remove the existing drive-thru and replace it with a side-by-side drive-thru, build an addition to the dining room, make interior renovations, overlay and restripe the parking lot and other work. It's shown as a $350,000 project.
Plans filed for new Dunkin' Donuts in Mandarin
Alisha & Pooja LLC filed plans with the St. Johns River Water Management District to demolish a building at 11857 San Jose Blvd. and build a Dunkin' Donuts.
Alisha & Pooja, listed on the district application as the property owner, describes the project as demolition of the existing building and parking for construction of a new building, parking and a new stormwater facility to serve the project.
Peritus Civil Inc. of St. Augustine is listed as the agent and consultant
The 1.11-acre site is east along San Jose Boulevard, between Loretto and Marbon roads. Plans indicate a 4,681-square-foot restaurant with a drive-thru.