Original article published on the Jacksonville Business Journal
The new Burrito Gallery, which is slated to open at the end of September, could be the first of many in the Jacksonville area.
Gallery Restaurant Group partners John Valentino and Shawn Lednick are behind the new location at Brooklyn Station on Riverside Avenue.
The partners said plans to franchise the popular Mexican-inspired brand, which has gained a semi-cult
“Our plan is to blow through Jacksonville first,” Lednick said — although locations haven't yet been determined.
The new two-story location on Riverside Avenue will feature two bars, including one on the second floor, offering one of the few rooftop-dining areas in town.
The decision to open in Brooklyn Station — the Regency Centers Corp. shopping center anchored by The Fresh Market — was apparent, Valentino said, with multifamily developments like 220 Riverside and The Brooklyn Riverside within walking distance.
“It’s the only brand new housing from Southside to here,” Valentino said.
The ground floor is roughly 3,400 square feet — about the size of the Downtown location — and will include 74 seats and 18 bar stools with additional café sidewalk seating.
The horseshoe bar will include outdoor and indoor seating, and run about 16 feet on the outside and 20 feet on the indoor portion.
The rooftop is about 2,100 square feet with 75 seats in the lounge/dining area and 18 seats at the bar.
Developer Chris Ruen, senior project manager at Regency Centers, said interior improvements will begin after June, when construction on the shell of the building is complete.
Ruen said development costs for the project will run upwards of $3 million, including about $500,000 for the upper level.
Click here to view article published by the Jacksonville Business Journal.
