Maple Street Biscuit Co. founder and seller Scott Moore is coming full circle to Murray Hill.
He will take over the Maple Street space at 1171 Edgewood Ave. S. with his new breakfast taco concept, Calico Cactus, which focuses on soft tacos, queso and coffee.
Moore said May 22 he had signed the lease for the location, making it his second for Calico Cactus. The first opened Jan. 14 in St. Augustine.
Moore said the 10-year Maple Street lease was expiring in August and the landlord asked if he was interested in taking the space.
“We have been talking the past several weeks about it, so we signed it and we are coming to Murray Hill in the Maple Street location,” Moore said.
“Of all the places to go, that place is just really special.”
Moore launched Maple Street in 2012 in San Marco. The Murray Hill restaurant was its fourth location and the company once had its offices there in the back.
Moore anticipates opening about October after building-out the restaurant for Calico Cactus. The 4,000-square-foot space has a second kitchen, which will allow him to set up a catering service for Jacksonville.
“Catering has been very good for us in St. Augustine,” he said.
“We will set up a whole catering area in the back part of the store and cater for all of Jacksonville out of there. It will be good space.”
Moore expects about 95 seats inside and a pickup window on the side for mobile orders and online food delivery services. He may set up a few bistro tables by the window.
Moore considers it as coming home.
“I lived five blocks from that store for 12 years and walked there almost every morning. It was a really special store for us,” he said.
“We love that community.”
Moore said he had visited the Maple Street location over the past few months and noted the experience wasn’t the same as when he and his team opened it.
“I feel like we get to go back to that same commitment and live out our mission,” he said.
Maple Street’s mission was “Help People. Serve others. Be a part of the community.”
The Calico Cactus team decided on “Be better. Serve harder. Show Grace.”
Amanda Urbizu, Calico Cactus director of mission and model, had been Maple Street’s community leader in Murray Hill.
“She will come up here and get this one going and get the team going,” Moore said.
“It’s just full circle.”
Moore said he expects to hire about 28 full- and part-time employees, including a lot of teenagers who can work only the weekends.
Landlord Stanton Hudmon said May 23 he had no comment about Calico Cactus.
“Maple Street has been an excellent tenant since 2014 and as landlords we go after the best tenants that serve the community and Maple Street definitely is an example of that.”
Calico Cactus
Moore said business is “really good” four months after opening the first Calico Cactus in a former Tijuana Flats restaurant at 833 S. Ponce de Leon Blvd. along the San Sebastian River in St. Augustine.
He noted positive online reviews and the swell of catering orders, which are making up 30% of sales.
“People are loving it.”
The menu and other information is at calicocactus.com.
Moore said the top seller is the four-cheese queso and the top tacos are the Scrambled Eggs On Your Face and the Texas Hold’Em brisket, eggs and cheese.
“We are the go-to option for breakfast catering,” he said. There also is a strong lunch catering business.
“I have been pleased at how the community is using us for catering,” he said.
Moore said St. Augustine area hospitals, medical centers, colleges, car dealerships and real estate companies are among the catering customers. Some text Urbizu at night for a breakfast taco bar the next morning. “And she does it.”
The third-party online food delivery services account for almost 30% of sales.
“The demographics of our primary guests are lots of young families, lots of college students and now we are getting into tourism season and we are starting to see tourists coming in,” Moore said.
Calico Cactus has taken food to nearby hotels in hopes the staff recommends the restaurant to guests.
The next concept
Moore, his co-founder, investors and store leaders sold Maple Street Biscuit Co. in 2019 to Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. for $36 million.
He started the concept to sell biscuit sandwiches and coffee. Maple Street has since added more menu items, including breakfast tacos.
After a noncompete period following the sale to Cracker Barrel, Moore settled on Calico Cactus as his next concept.
Open 7 a.m.- 3 p.m. for breakfast and lunch, Calico Cactus is fast-casual, where guests order at the front counter, take their seats and food is delivered to the table.
Workers make the flour tortillas throughout the day. Soft corn tortillas also are available.
The menu focuses on soft tacos for breakfast and lunch with chips and dips, sides, salads, bowls, kids’ meals and sweet treats.
Moore said the tortillas, salsas and sauces are made from scratch. The four-cheese queso comes with “a little kick.”
A salsa station of mild, medium and hot sauces allows customers to choose or mix to their tastes.
A barista-staffed coffee bar features coffee and tea, espresso drinks and lattes, and agua frescas, limeade and more. Oat milk and almond milk can be subbed into lattes for a charge.
There are bottled and canned drinks, sweet tea and chocolate milk.
The St. Augustine Calico Cactus seats 82 people inside and 24 on the patio. There is no drive-thru.
Being along the San Sebastian River, there is land for a deck that Moore said is planned in a second phase.
Parking is on-site at the shopping plaza.
The menu has six breakfast and five lunch tacos.
Prices start at $3.75 for the M.T.D. taco of potato, eggs and Monterey Jack cheese and for the Prairie Dog of refried beans, potato and Monterey Jack cheese.
The Texas Hold ‘Em tops out at $5.25 with beef barbacoa brisket, eggs and Monterey Jack cheese, and the Fireproof with brisket, potatoes, poblanos and queso.
M.T.D. is for “meet the day,” which Moore tells his visiting grandchildren in the morning. “I get up and tell them, ‘Let’s go meet the day.’”
There are vegetarian and gluten-free options.
Calico Cactus continues working toward a location north of Atlanta in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Moore said he and the Calico Cactus partners, some who were Maple Street investors, want to open several locations and then start franchising.
He said there is franchising interest.
“Right now we are focused on getting Murray Hill as soon as we can.”