The city is reviewing a permit for the new Muscle Burger to post its sign at Hodges Plaza, where the landlord said the restaurant is preparing to open within two to three weeks.
Taylor Sign & Design Inc. of Jacksonville is the contractor for the wall sign at an estimated project cost of $2,380 at 13799 Beach Blvd.
Jacksonville-based Ashco Centers owns the shopping center at northwest Beach Boulevard and Discovery Way, east of Hodges Boulevard.
Muscle Burgers will take the 1,600-square-foot Unit 8B, previously occupied by Pizza Hut/WingStreet.
Hodges Plaza is anchored by Daruma Japanese Steak House and Time Out Sports Grill.
Tiffany Ashurian, Ashco Centers vice president of leasing and acquisitions, said by email June 8 that Muscle Burger provided a statement that it will bring “an elevated, culinary data-driven approach to the fast-casual restaurant market.”
Founder Manuel F. Aguilar filed Muscle Burger Jax LLC with the state Division of Corporations on March 11, 2026.
Muscle Burgers’ statement says it is “an elevated fast-casual restaurant concept offering organic, grass-fed beef burgers designed for high-protein nutrition and exceptional flavor.”
Muscle Burger will “feature a streamlined core menu engineered for maximum flavor, efficiency, and quality,” said the statement.
Aguilar said the menu includes:
• The Muscle Burger – A double stack of 4-ounce organic beef patties for a total of 8 ounces, marinated overnight in a blend of pinot noir, soy sauce, garlic and Worcestershire sauce, finished with smoked sea salt, charbroiled and topped with aged cheddar, a mix of arugula and watercress tossed in lemon juice and olive oil, and tomato, onion and pickles, served with Muscle Burger sauce on a toasted Dave’s Killer Bread burger bun.
• The Classic Burger – A double stack of 4-ounce patties, marinated, seared and served with Muscle Burger sauce on a toasted Dave’s Killer Bread burger bun.
• The Lil’ Beast – A 4-ounce version of the classic.
There also are fries.
Beverages include squeezed-to-order lemonades and Artisanal Chicha Morada, a Peruvian beverage made by boiling dried purple corn and spiced with cinnamon and cloves, “brewed in-house and brightened with fresh fruit juices.”
Regular hours will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
On Friday and Saturday nights, it will reopen at 11:30 p.m. and offer a targeted late-night menu through 3 a.m.
The statement from the Muscle Burger team said:
“The burger-only concept focuses strictly on fresh clean ingredients, high bioavailability, and culinary integrity — eliminating standard industry shortcuts and replacing them with a made-from-scratch approach to serve flavor-first customers who care about what they are eating.”
The statement said Muscle Burger was founded by Manuel “Manny” Aguilar, a financial analyst and chef whose background “spans high-volume experience in Beverly Hills and Downtown San Diego, elite training abroad in Montpellier and Rome, and 12 years as a semi-professional MMA fighter.”
“Facing a market saturated with marketing hype, heavily processed patties, and underpaid employees, Manny engineered Muscle Burger to bridge the gap between premium culinary taste, real, honest nutrition, and fair, livable pay,” said the statement.
A Facebook post says the restaurant will seat 15 people and is geared for take-out and delivery.