Bellwether, a Downtown Jacksonville dining spot and frequent site of meetings among Jacksonville business and political figures, announced it is closing at the end of March.
“It’s hard to put into words how grateful we are for the memories made within these walls,” read a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
“What started as a vision became a place filled with laughter, celebrations, late-night conversations, and countless shared meals.”
Jonathan Insetta, whose Jacksonville-based restaurant group includes Orsay in Avondale and the former Black Sheep Restaurant in Five Points, opened Bellwether in 2017.
The restaurant at 117 W. Forsyth St. serves lunch and dinner with a menu that includes soups and salads, burgers and sandwiches, steak and Asian-inspired dishes such as Korean short rib and kimchi tots.
The Facebook post did not list a reason for the closure.
In 2025, Insetta told the Daily Record that Bellwether had been “hanging on a string in Downtown for the last four years, barely making it” due partly to rising costs of ingredients.
He said he tried to adjust by adopting “less cheffy” menu items but was not willing to lower the quality standards of the restaurant.
The impending closure follows a Jan. 28 announcement by Intuition Ale Works that it is closing its brewery, restaurant and music hall April 24 when its lease expires at 929 E. Bay St.
Intuition has been in business 15 years in the Sports and Entertainment District.
Owner Ben Davis said reasons behind his decision to shut down the operation included the challenges of operating a craft brewery since the coronavirus pandemic, such as rising production costs, reduced margins and increased competition.
Downtown restaurateurs’ challenges also include a high vacancy rate in Downtown office buildings, with Jacksonville industry market reports showing year-end 2025 vacancy rates up to 29.5% on the Northbank..
The trend is poised to continue, with Citizens Property Insurance Corp. uprooting from its offices at 301 W. Bay St. for a suburban location and EverBank exploring a move out of the same building.
Citizens employs about 1,000 people Downtown. EverBank’s Downtown workforce numbers 800.
EverBank is seeking $9.8 million in tax incentives from the city of Jacksonville to remain Downtown, saying the funding is needed to offset a cost differential in operating Downtown versus the suburbs. Those costs include parking and security, bank executives say.
On Feb. 18, the Downtown Investment Authority board voted 7-2 against recommending City Council approval of the incentive package.