Julington Creek Fish Camp on the way
Construction continues on the Julington Creek Fish Camp along San Jose Boulevard, and the restaurant's Facebook page is posting the job application.
Restaurateurs Ben and Liza Groshell are working on the project at 12760 San Jose Blvd., the site of the former New Orleans Café. They will lease the building.
The Groshells operate several other well-known restaurants on or near the water, including Marker 32, Palm Valley Fish Camp and North Beach Fish Camp.
Ben Groshell said previously that the restaurant will have 150 seats, with 100 inside and 50 on the deck.
Bread, milk, water and socks: Top private-label Jacksonville sales
When you buy socks, do you prefer name-brand or store-brand? Or does it matter?
When it comes to general merchandise and non-edible products sold in Jacksonville, the most popular among the private-label sales are socks, toilet tissue and paper towels.
Among food, the top private-label sales are bread, lunchmeat, milk and water. Private-label products are store-brand goods rather than name-brand.
The Shelby Report of the Southeast trade publication, which has been reporting "Top 25" product sales among 11 Southeastern markets, reviewed private-label products in its November issue.
IRI, a Chicago-based market and shopping research firm, calculated and provided the information for Shelby.
Data reflects sales in multi-outlet markets, including supermarkets, drugstores, mass-market retailers, military commissaries and select club and dollar retail chains.
Jacksonville was one of the 11 markets. Sales were for the 52 weeks ending July 14.
The top private-label sellers among eight categories, the amount spent and the change from the year before were:
• Bakery: Fresh bread ($8.9 million, up 3.3 percent).
• Deli: Refrigerated lunch meat ($7.9 million, down 3 percent).
• Dairy/refrigerated: Skim/lowfat milk ($43.2 million, down 1.8 percent).
• Edible: Bottled water ($9.9 million, up 7.8 percent).
• Frozen: Frozen/refrigerated chicken ($10.1 million, up 21.3 percent).
• General merchandise: Socks ($4.5 million, down 8 percent).
• Non-edible: Toilet tissue ($8.6 million, up 6.7 percent).
• Health and beauty care: Cold, allergy, sinus tablets/packets ($9 million, up 9.2 percent).
Private-label food and beverage sales topped $98 billion in the U.S. in 2011, according to Shelby. It said private labels represent 20 percent of grocery store sales and 18 percent of supercenter sales.
Why? Shelby reported that store-brand products were 31 percent less expensive across product categories than their national-brand counterparts.
Top 10 restaurant trends for 2014
RestaurantNews.com reported the top trends for next year, citing Technomic, a food-service research and consulting firm. They are:
• Real food. Consumers want to know the source of the ingredients in their meals.
• Protein. When beef prices rise, restaurants turn to other protein: chicken, pork, lamb, game meats, eggs, mushrooms, beans and soy-based products.
• Carbs. Starches are returning. Noodles, pasta, rice bowls, flatbreads, wraps, artisan breads and waffles continue to be popular.
• Cream, cheese and fat. Pastas, fried appetizers and specialty sandwiches will be in demand, but possibly in moderation as consumers don't take super-indulgent items too seriously.
• Sour tastes. A growing interest in pickled, fermented and sour foods is showing up in foods and beverages.
• Breakfast all day. Restaurants are promoting breakfast offerings throughout the day.
• Snacks. Grab-and-go, snack-size hand-held and car-friendly foods are popular, as are sharing-size offerings such as soup trios, beer samplers and small desserts.
• On tap. Look for more coffee bars, soda taps, keg-wine bar concepts and self-serve beer-tap walls.
• High-tech orders. Customers can order food – to their specifications – from their tablets and other devices, and also provide customer feedback.
• Politics. Restaurant companies and owners that express political views can expect customer response, whether it's support or backlash.