Georgia-based Parker’s Kitchen’s interest is confirmed for southwest Atlantic and Southside boulevards at the site of a closed CVS Pharmacy.
It is one of what is believed to be six Parker’s Kitchen gas station and convenience stores explored for Clay, Duval and Nassau counties. The stores feature “Southern-inspired” food such as fried fish, grits and okra.
Property owner Jacksonville Merrimac LLC, which is based in Fort Lauderdale and leased the Arlington site to CVS, applied to the city Concurrency and Management System Office for review for a proposed Parker’s Kitchen at 9100 Atlantic Blvd. in the Regency area of Arlington.
The applications are for concurrency capacity availability and a mobility fee calculation certificate, which are project development approvals.
Those applications show the 16,384-square-foot retail building with a pharmacy drive-thru would be demolished and replaced with a 6,344-square-foot convenience store and gas station with 20 fueling positions. A site plan shows 10 pumps.
There would be entrances from both Atlantic and Southside boulevards.
England-Thims & Miller Inc. of Jacksonville is the civil engineer and agent.
The site also is larger than what was initially considered.
City utility JEA issued a service availability determination letter Nov. 21, 2024, for “redevelopment of existing site to proposed 5,175 sq ft C-store” at that location.
England-Thims & Miller Inc. was the engineer on that project.
Parker’s Kitchen would be developed across Atlantic Boulevard from a Circle K gas station and convenience store that built in 2023 at 100 Southside Blvd., at northwest Southside and Atlantic boulevards.
The location also is near the Southside Estates neighborhood.
Four sites and counting
Savannah-based Parker’s Kitchen confirmed in November 2024 that it will open at least four gas station and convenience stores in Northeast Florida by the third quarter of 2026.
It said previously by email that the first four are:
• 7481 Wilson Blvd. at Old Middleburg Road North in West Jacksonville.
• 11205 Alta Drive north of Interstate 295 in North Jacksonville.
• Blanding and Tanglewood boulevards in Orange Park in Clay County.
• 76010 William Burgess Blvd. in Wildwood in Yulee in Nassau County.
Parker’s Kitchen said then it was actively working on several more locations but that it was too early to publicize them.
Parker’s Kitchen said April 7 that “no additional store sites in Jacksonville are confirmed at this time.”
The two more that have surfaced comprise the closed CVS and another in South Jacksonville.
JEA issued a service availability determination letter April 2 for an unidentified 5,175-square-foot convenience store – a common size used by Parker’s Kitchen – on 1.61 acres at northwest Beach Boulevard and St. Johns Bluff Road South.
Kimley-Horn & Associates Inc. of Jacksonville is the agent and civil engineer. The firm works with Parker’s Kitchen.
That JEA request comprised two parcels. An almost 0.55-acre site at 11361 Beach Blvd. features a Checkers drive-thru built in 1993. A 1.06-acre site at 3210 St. Johns Bluff Road S. is listed in Duval County property records as vacant commercial property.
A JEA request means a project is being explored and is not a firm deal.
A possible seventh site is in regulatory reviews off County Road 210 in St. Johns County for a convenience store offering gas that matches Parker’s Kitchen’s 5,175-square-foot store footprint.
It is planned 1 mile west of the Beachwalk community across the street from the Fountains at St. Johns at Moon Bay Parkway.
England-Thims & Miller of Jacksonville is the applicant.
“Jacksonville’s fast-growing population, robust economy and growing retail market make it an attractive region for expansion,” said Amanda Thompson, Parker’s Kitchen senior director of real estate and development, in November 2024.
“With its business-friendly environment and vibrant lifestyle appeal, the city offers tremendous opportunity. As a company, expanding into north Florida aligns seamlessly with our strategic growth objectives. We’re honored to support the Jacksonville community and to contribute to its ongoing success as the area continues to grow.”
Gas, grits and gravy
Parker’s Kitchen features Southern comfort food.
The ParkersKitchen.com menu includes biscuits baked daily on-site, catfish, grits, hash browns, sausage patties and gravy, chicken tenders, pork chops, pulled pork sandwiches, fried okra, breakfast burritos, lemonade and “Signature Chewy Ice.”
According to its website, Parker’s Kitchen aims to “redefine foodservice and convenience, offering freshly prepared Southern-inspired food, high-quality products, and superior customer service” at retail stores throughout coastal Georgia and South Carolina.
It has at least 98 locations in its Georgia and South Carolina markets and is adding 25 more in those states and in Florida.
The closest to Jacksonville is 32 miles north in Kingsland, Georgia.
Founder and CEO Greg Parker opened the first store in Midway, Georgia, in 1976.
When it announced an expansion in June 2024 into Augusta, Georgia, a news release said the Parker’s Kitchen will offer grab-and-go options, a hot bar serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily and electronic kiosk ordering.
Highlights will include never-frozen, antibiotic-free, double-breaded Southern fried chicken tenders, signature mac ‘n’ cheese and potato logs, freshly made salads, gourmet coffee, freshly brewed sweet tea, Fancy Lemonade, 28-degree beer, fountain drinks with Chewy Ice and a range of convenience items.
Global trade news site Convenience.org reported Oct. 4, 2024, that Parker’s Kitchen had opened its largest location yet, a 7,122-square-foot store in Kingsland.
The site is the company’s southernmost location on Interstate 95 and the first store in Camden County, “featuring larger retail, food, and checkout areas, along with a gaming room and expanded restrooms.”
Parker’s Kitchen said in the report that the store features a prototype with a “contemporary glass-front façade, lime-washed brick, designer lighting, and the cleanest bathrooms in the industry.”
The website said the 6.84-acre site includes parking for large commercial trucks as well as cars and offers three grades of unleaded fuel plus ethanol-free fuel, diesel and high-flow diesel.
Parker’s Kitchen said the Kingsland store is the first in a cluster of its stores designed to serve residents and visitors throughout the metro Jacksonville area and South Georgia.