Mission BBQ, a Maryland-based company formed a decade to the day after 9/11, is expanding into Florida, including restaurants in Jacksonville and Orange Park.
In Jacksonville, Mission BBQ intends to open at the 1.4-acre site of a former Bennigan’s in Southwest Jacksonville. State corporate records indicate an Orange Park site as well, but no address was provided.
Mission BBQ was founded by former Under Armour executive Bill Kraus and former Outback Steakhouse executive Steve “Newt” Newton. The first restaurant opened Sept. 11, 2011, the 10th anniversary of 9/11, in Glen Burnie, Md.
The company supports military, veteran and first-responder organizations.
Site plans filed with the city show that the Bennigan’s at Interstate 295 and Blanding Boulevard will be demolished and a 7,800-square-foot building constructed. Mission BBQ will take 4,000 square and Aspen Dental will lease the other 3,800 square feet at 8440 Blanding Blvd.
Kraus said Tuesday the company will expand into Florida in 2015, but was not committed to a specific number of locations. He cited Jacksonville and Florida’s focus on the military, veterans and first responders as reasons the company was opening in the state.
“The whole mission is to serve, honor and thank American heroes,” Kraus said. “We are proud to serve them.”
Kraus said the stores are all corporately owned. Each provides 40-50 full- and part-time jobs.
Mission BBQ’s website said its two founders traveled the country to discover barbecue trends. The site shows 13 locations, comprising seven in Maryland, three in Virginia, two in North Carolina and one in Pennsylvania.
State corporate record show Mission BBQ groups to serve Orange Park, Fort Myers, Southwest Florida and Town N Country in Hillsborough County. Newton is listed as the authorized member of the LLCs.
Mission BBQ donates a portion of proceeds from meals to local and national military and law enforcement charities, including Wounded Warrior Project, USO and Honor Flight Network.
The Maryland Gazette reported in June that Kraus and Newton were named entrepreneurs of the year. They said they planned open 10 new restaurants this year to take “American food for American heroes” to the rest of the East Coast. They said they wanted to have 40 restaurants open in four years.
Martino to take over at Bono’s Pit Bar-B-Q
Josh Martino will take over as president of Jacksonville-based Bono’s Pit Bar-B-Q in January.
Martino, COO and legal counsel, will succeed owner Joe Adeeb, who bought Bono’s in 1980. Adeeb grew up with his family’s Sea Turtle and Green Turtle restaurants.
Adeeb took Bono’s founder Lou Bono’s practices and secret recipes and “turned them into one of North Florida’s most successful franchises and dining destinations,” according to a news release.
There are 20 Bono’s in Florida and Colorado, as well as a new franchise called Willie Jewell’s Old School Bar-B-Q operating in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
“I can’t think of a finer person to carry on the legacy that Lou Bono created after firing up that first pit back in 1949,” Adeeb said of Martino in the release.
Martino joined Bono’s in 2006 as operations director. He has degrees in business and English from Vanderbilt University, and graduated from New York’s Cardozo Law School in 2003.
He also will continue to serve as legal counsel for the company.
Publix nearing $11M in renovations
Publix Super Markets Inc. continues to renovate its Jacksonville stores, this time filling plans for a $400,000 remodel of a Mandarin store.
The Lakeland-based chain wants to renovate its store at 11406 San Jose Blvd., marking its 14th area renovation that boosts the company’s area investment in remodeling and reconstruction to almost $11 million as competitors continue entering the market.
The 45,860-square-foot San Jose Boulevard store, at Mandarin Road, was built in 1998. McIntyre Elwell & Strammer General Contractors is the project contractor.
Publix has 30 Duval County supermarkets, and over the past two years has been joined by newcomers Trader Joe’s, Earth Fare, Walmart Neighborhood Market, Aldi and other companies. Also, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. bought property in Southwest Jacksonville for another Supercenter.
Cabana Grill opens in Mandarin
Cabana Grill opened its first Jacksonville restaurant in Mandarin at 10422 San Jose Blvd.
Cabana Grill was created by San Antonio-based Taco Cabana, which has more than 170 company-owned and franchised restaurants in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Its parent company is Fiesta Restaurant Group Inc., which also operates the Pollo Tropical chain.
In addition to its Mexican cuisine, it also offers beers and margaritas.
Cabana Grill also plans a second restaurant in North Jacksonville at Parkway Shops at River City Marketplace.
Fiesta Restaurant Group Inc. said late last year it would test-market Cabana Grill, a new concept, and chose Jacksonville’s Mandarin area as one of at least two test sites. The first opened in April in the Atlanta area.
Regency area gaining Pollo Tropical and Olive Garden
Regency could soon gain a new Pollo Tropical at 9370 Atlantic Blvd., the site of a former Hess station between Chili’s and Chick-fil-A.
It’s not far from the Olive Garden under construction at 9465 Atlantic Blvd. Olive Garden razed its former fire-damaged restaurant to build anew.
North Coast Construction Co. is building the Pollo Tropical at a construction cost of $870,000. The chain focuses on Caribbean-inspired, citrus-marinated grilled chicken.
Food bites
Food- and drink-related businesses filed names with the state Division of Corporations under the Fictitious Name Law to operate:
• Cecil’s Diner & Pub, to Deuce Amigos LLC, mailing address is 12233 Sago Ave. Michael Scott Logsdon and Gerald Bullard Jr. of 731 Duval Station Road, Suites 107-136, are managers of Deuce Amigos LLC.
• Andy’s Pub, to Andrea Karla Karau, mailing address is 6419 San Juan Ave.
• Guido’s Brick Oven Pizza, to Camillo Bonesse, mailing address is 6746 Long Meadow Circle S.
• Miss K’s Cuisine, to Chinarda Lanita Bailey, mailing address is 536 W. 19th St.
• Domo Japanese Restaurant, to Cha & Hyo LLC, 2009 Eastwest Parkway, Fleming Island, Clay County. Hyo Jun Han and Cha Sun Han Park are managers of Cha & Hyo LLC.
• Burnmark Catering, to Black Eye Group LLC, mailing address is 1622 Park Ave., Fernandina Beach, Nassau County. Christopher Pickren, Brennan Pickren and Monty Pickren are managers of Black Eye Group LLC.
Licensed to serve
Duval County Tax Collector Michael Corrigan issued business licenses for:
• Smoothie & Subs, to Refreshing Smoothie and Sub Inc., 9550 Baymeadows Road, No. 4.
• SmallCakes Jacksonville, to SmallCakes of Saint Simons Island LLC, 4352 Southside Blvd., No. 1. Brittany Tyre, who owns a Smallcakes in St. Simons Island, owns the Jacksonville location.
• Royal Buffet, to When Chun Ren and Yong Ming Zhang, 5086 Normandy Blvd.
• Marianas Grinds, to Marinas Grinds LLC, 11041 Beach Blvd.
• East Coast Waffles Inc., to Kristopher James Muhl, 11844 Lem Turner Road.
• Blessed By The Best Hot Dogz, to Tameka D. Johnson, 12450 Biscayne Blvd., No. 1313.
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