Owner John Crispens is stepping back to allow for some changes in the nearly 8-year-old Crispy’s Springfield Gallery restaurant and bar at 1735 N. Main St.
The first is a name change.
When it reopens June 14, it will be Crispy’s 2.0.
Joe Powers and Marisha Francis have bought into the business as managing partners. Jimmy Bayer will take on the role as manager.
“I’m still going to be around, just not as much,” Crispens said.
“I wanted to bring in some new blood and make it someone else’s day-to-day life. When an employee doesn’t show up or a piece of equipment goes down somebody else is going to be responsible to take care of it.”
Powers and Francis, who are engaged to be married, have formed a restaurant management company called Kainos. In a separate project, Powers is working with Bold City Brewing to find a place to open a restaurant in Springfield or near the Trout River.
Powers owned Lily’s Bistro at 2076 Belfort Road, which closed in 2008 because of the recession. He also worked managing nightspots for ServPro.
The history of Crispy’s
Crispens is a longtime Springfield resident.
Before he opened Crispy’s, he had always wanted to open a restaurant but said vacant property in Springfield was hard to find.
Many of the empty shops and vacant properties are owned by a small group of owners, he said, and when a property is up for sale it calls for fast action.
The building had been a pawn shop that had been closed for about a year when Crispens received a call from a friend who sells real estate.
“Crispy. 1735 North Main St. Get there right now. I was driving on I-95 and made a U-turn and I was there in about 10 minutes. Later that day, I put a down payment on the building.”
He bought it in 2014 for $109,000. The building was constructed in 1945.
Crispy’s is a two-story building measuring a combined 5,771 square feet. The upstairs had been used for private parties but wasn’t used as much as Crispens wanted.
The changes
The restaurant, closed for renovations, will open at 11 a.m. June 14 with a party to celebrate the changes starting around 6 pm.
The upstairs is where the major changes are happening. It will become a lounge area for adults with a couple of pool tables, dartboards and overstuffed chairs and love seats. It will have a small bar.
Downstairs will have claw arcade games for kids.
Known for pizza, sandwiches and salads, the menu is being overhauled to feature new items while staying within its current cuisine.
Crispy’s doesn’t have a fryer because the required ventilation system is cost-prohibitive, Powers said.
What’s next for Crispens
Crispens, 55, said traveling is a passion and he makes a regular trip to Germany during Oktoberfest, bringing his own lederhosen.
“I don’t need all of the money in the world. I want to travel and have experiences, meet new people, make friends and enjoy my life while I am still a young man,” he said.
In the meantime, he is looking for partners to open more Crispy’s restaurants around town. He envisions a smaller version that serves the Crispy’s menu and provides a similar neighborhood-bar feeling.
“I tell people that Springfield is the best neighborhood in Jacksonville,” he said.
“I have lived at the Beach for 15 years. I’ve lived on the Southside. In those places you may know the person next door or across the street. In Springfield, someone who lives 10 blocks down the street is still your neighbor.”