Larry Hazouri has been in the restaurant business Downtown long enough to have seen the neighborhood’s ups and downs.
Owner of the Desert Rider sandwich shop on Hogan Street about two blocks from the new Duval County Courthouse and Enterprise Center Café a block from EverBank Center, Hazouri said business is brisk with all the new people in the immediate area.
Almost 500 staff moved with the judiciary from the courthouse on East Bay Street to the new facility in LaVilla.
EverBank is scheduled to complete its move of 1,600 employees from the suburbs to the center, the former AT&T Tower, by the end of July.
“I have definitely seen an increase in business,” said Hazouri.
The Desert Rider is an old-fashioned Downtown breakfast spot with a lunch menu of sandwiches, homemade soups and salads. Hazouri opened the restaurant on Forsyth Street in 1969 and later moved to the Hogan Street location.
He recently added outdoor tables and chairs to increase the shop’s seating capacity for his new customers from the courthouse.
A few blocks away on the 10th floor of the Enterprise Center, adjacent to the Omni Hotel, Hazouri opened Enterprise Center Café almost 18 years ago.
The restaurant opens at 7 a.m. for breakfast. The dining room has a panoramic view of the Northbank skyline, including EverBank Center. Hazouri serves the Desert Rider lunch menu, plus a hot bar selection that’s different every day.
Monday, it’s baked chicken and baked turkey wings; Tuesday, beef stew and barbecued pork chops. Every Wednesday, there is chicken with yellow rice and barbecued chicken; Thursday, spaghetti with meatballs and country-style ribs; Friday, it’s meatloaf and chicken tenders.
There also is a variety of side items and fruit cobbler pie for dessert.
“There aren’t many hot bars Downtown and I think we’re the only one that also serves sandwiches and salads,” Hazouri said.
The view from the café is an asset, but being 10 stories above the sidewalk can present a marketing challenge.
“We’re not right on the street, so it’s hard for people to find us, but when they do, they come back,” he said.
Having been in the breakfast and lunch business Downtown for so many years, Hazouri can remember when the urban core was Duval County’s epicenter of business, department stores, specialty retailers and professional offices. He said continued investment in Downtown is what it will take for the neighborhood to flourish again.
“We need more people Downtown. When we get critical mass, it will mean more businesses and more residents. Do more incentives; do whatever it takes. It’s worth it,” said Hazouri.
@DRMaxDowntown
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