Corner Bakery Café opens its first Jacksonville restaurant today near Southpoint.
The café opens at 7 a.m. at 7111 Bonneval Road, near Butler Boulevard and Philips Highway, and intends to open its second restaurant at Brooklyn Station in Riverside later this year.
Prizes are being offered throughout the week. Today, the first 100 guests through the doors at 7 a.m. received a free commemorative Corner Bakery Cafe travel mug and free daily coffee refills for a year. During the week, the restaurant will hold a drawing to award a guest free grilled panini for a year. It also will draw a local business to win one free large Corner Classic catering order.
Lee-Wesley Bakery Café owns the first two restaurants among its portfolio of national restaurant brands throughout Florida and Virginia.
Corner Bakery Cafe is a fast-casual restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. It features seasonal menu options including breakfast, panini, handcrafted salads, sandwiches and sweets.
Hours at the new location are 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday.
The restaurant is next to Edwin Watts Golf. The Riverside location will be at 192 Riverside Ave. in front of The Fresh Market.
A year ago, the company said it plans to open as many as 10 restaurants in the area as part of a multi-unit restaurant franchise agreement with Lee Wesley Group LLC, whose manager is Arthur Lee, president and CEO of Lee, Wesley & Associates LLC, Lee Wesley Group LLC and Lee Wesley Restaurants LLC.
Lee Wesley Group LLC also owns and operates several Panda Express, Burger King, Nathan’s Famous, Auntie Anne’s and Taco Bell restaurants.
More than 170 Corner Bakery Cafe company-owned and franchised locations operate around the country. For information, visit cornerbakerycafe.com.
Pollo Tropical proceeds with Regency site
Pollo Tropical filed plans with the city to build in the Regency area at 9370 Atlantic Blvd., the site of a former Hess station.
Fiesta Restaurant Group Inc. of Addison, Texas, wants to develop a 3,800-square-foot, 120-seat Pollo Tropical on about an acre on a site between Chick-fil-A and Chili’s. The site is just off Southside Boulevard, a heavy north-south thoroughfare.
Fiesta Restaurant Group would remove the old gas station. Hess Retail Stores LLC owns the property and would remove the fuel tanks after the deal closes, the plans show.
England-Thims & Miller is the civil engineer for the project.
It would be at least the fifth Pollo Tropical in the area.
In March, Pollo Operations Inc. bought property in the Shoppes at Bartram Park for a restaurant and drive-thru at 13776 Old St. Augustine Road. The other three Pollo Tropicals are at St. Johns Town Center, River City Marketplace and at San Jose Boulevard and Claire Lane.
Pollo Tropical Chicken on the Grill is part of Pollo Operations Inc. of Miami. The chain focuses on Caribbean-inspired, citrus-marinated grilled chicken. It also offers slow-roasted mojo pork, salads, sandwiches and wraps.
Fiesta Restaurant Group, which owns and franchises Pollo Tropical and Taco Cabana, also intends to test-market a new concept — Cabana Grill — in Mandarin as one of at least two test sites. The first is in the Atlanta area.
“Cabana Grill a Taste of Mexico” is under development at 10422 San Jose Blvd., at Oak Bluff Lane.
Waffle House planning Beach Boulevard site
Waffle House Inc. is considering a restaurant along Beach Boulevard, between Discovery Way and Suni Pines Boulevard.
A mobility-fee application certificate shows plans for a 1,635-square-foot Waffle House on 1.14 acres for build-out in 2015.
The 38-seat restaurant would be built on vacant commercial property now owned by Phillips Hwy Commerce Park LLC. The property does not have a street address.
Waffle House, based in Norcross, Ga., has at least 13 locations in the Jacksonville area.
Restaurants on the rise
• Buffalo’s Café is renovating at 6055 Youngerman Circle.
• Townsend Seafood Market is building out at 2909 Townsend Blvd.
• Krystal plans a $200,000 renovation of its 8015 Merrill Road location.
• Applebee’s will renovate its 8635 Blanding Blvd. restaurant.
• Panera Bread is renovating a delivery hub at 13740 Beach Blvd. No. 112.
Licensed to serve
Duval County Tax Collector Michael Corrigan issued business licenses for:
• Take A Break Café, to Wade Thompson Niergarth, 6622 Southpoint Drive S.
• Uptown, to Sunshine Delights Inc., 1501 Lane Ave. S., No. 1.
• Mike’s Halal Restaurant, to Michael Hilliard, 7904 Smyrna St.
• AJ’s Seafood Inc., to Sukar Khalil, 21 Arlington Road N., No. 1.
• Dubee’s BBQ & Catering, to Djahn Dubenion Sr., 7400 Powers Ave., No. 600.
• Village Inn No. 25, to Sherwood Corp., 10140 San Jose Blvd.
• Whiskey Jax Kitchen & Cocktails, to Eatery Investment Group Inc., 10915 Baymeadows Road, No. 136.
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