The Bread & Board is coming Downtown, and it’s not coming alone.
The Jacksonville restaurant announced March 6 it will open at 100 W. Bay St. this summer. The building is part of VyStar Credit Union's headquarters campus.
The 7,200-square-foot project will include a specialty marketplace called Bread & Board Provisions, a “farmers-market bazaar of sorts” with culinary offerings and local retailers. The restaurant will be about 5,000 square feet and the marketplace is 2,200 square feet.
“We are excited to have been approached by VyStar about leasing the space, and for the chance to expand our restaurant concept,” Dwayne Beliakoff, co-founder of The Bread & Board, said in a news release.
Food, beverage and retail partners in the Bread & Board Provisions market include:
• Good Dough, handmade from-scratch doughnuts.
• Alewife Craft Beer Bottle Shop, craft beer taproom and bottle shop.
• Bee Friends Farm, Florida raw honey.
• Layered: Cakes & Sweets by Anita Adams, cakes, cookies and pastries.
• Martin Coffee, Jacksonville’s original specialty coffee roaster.
• Saturiwa Trading Company, fresh local and seasonal produce and specialty ingredients.
• Bark Urban Dog Boutique, natural foods, novelties and baked treats for dogs.
Beliakoff said the concept is designed as an alternative to a traditional food court.
“The market will allow guests to immerse themselves in the best tastes, retail and authentic experiences from top local vendors, artisans, specialty purveyors, pastry chefs and craft beer certified Cicerones,” Beliakoff said.
The Bread & Board will offer made-to-order sandwiches and sandwich boards, salads and entrees along with a selection of grab-and-go items.
VyStar is moving its headquarters and up to 1,000 people Downtown. In addition to the Bay Street building, it owns VyStar Tower next door at 76 S. Laura St.
“As we continue settling into our new home Downtown and building out our VyStar Campus, we are committed to finding creative ways to bring the community together,” said VyStar President and CEO Brian Wolfburg.
“We are eager to forge partnerships with local businesses such as The Bread & Board that have a shared vision of contributing to a more dynamic Downtown Jacksonville by stimulating the local economy and growing a tightknit community that can be enjoyed by all," he said in the release.
Thomas Duke Architecture, in collaboration with Micamy Design is the project designer.
The news release said the design will feature repurposed timber and hardwood, and granite and marble surfaces.
The layout will feature communal and traditional seating with cafe tables, taproom bar stools and small benches. There will be a breezeway and outdoor seating. The marketplace will have a kitchen.
Amanda Kinkade of Kinkade Commercial represented The Bread & Board and Katy Figg and Nancy Sumner with the Jacksonville office of Colliers International represented VyStar in the lease agreement.
“As Downtown development continues to gain momentum, local restaurants and retailers are investing in Jacksonville’s central business district," Figg said. "We hope this transaction inspires other local restaurant groups to invest in Downtown and become part of the neighborhood’s revitalization."
Beliakoff and Jonathan Cobbs founded Bread & Board in 2017 at 1033 Oak St. in Five Points and intend to open a second location in St. John’s Town Center North this spring.
