A Georgia-based restaurant group was issued a building permit to enter the Northeast Florida market with a South African-inspired establishment and private club at the site of the former Lulu’s Waterfront Grille in Ponte Vedra Beach.
St. Johns County issued a permit Jan. 20 for the side-by-side projects at 301 N. Roscoe Blvd. along the Intracoastal Waterway at a project cost of $3.14 million.
In a Dec. 22 news release, Atlanta-based True Story Brands said it was partnering with Ponte Vedra-based Shark Tooth Dining LLC to open Yebo Beach Haus and Lions Head Private Members Club.
Site plans show a 10,279-square-foot building with 66 parking spaces.
Smith McKee Construction LLC is the contractor. Cronk Duch Architecture is the architect. Halff is the civil engineer. All are based in Jacksonville.
Shark Tooth Dining LLC bought the 1.34-acre waterfront site for $4.2 million in November 2024, three years after Lulu’s closed. The seller was Cliff Moore through TQ Corp. of Ponte Vedra Beach.
According to the release, the original Yebo Beach Haus was founded in 2012 in Atlanta, with its menu highlighting New American cuisine, anchored by sushi, seafood and prime steaks, and “flavors reminiscent of Cape Town and South Africa’s wine country.”
“Yebo is a South African English exclamation of affirmation — meaning ‘yes’ or ‘I agree’ — and that spirit of joyful connection is exactly what we aim to create with Shark Tooth Dining,” said Justin Anthony, the South African-born founder of True Story Brands, in the release.
The release says the beverage menu includes craft cocktails and wine by the bottle or glass from South African vineyards, Napa Valley producers and French estates.
The menu from the original location in Atlanta includes seafood and steaks, a traditional South African beef jerky item called biltong, ostrich sliders, a selection of raw bar items and more.
The release describes the Lions Head Private Members Club as a dining club offering “an elegant, discreet and intentionally curated experience.” Dues were not disclosed.
Founded nearly 30 years ago by Anthony, True Story Brands has restaurant concepts in and around Atlanta. In addition to Yebo Beach Haus, they include 10 Degrees South, Biltong Bar and the Cape Restaurant & Beach Bar.
The release says construction on the Ponte Vedra projects is expected to begin later this year.