The damage from Hurricane Irma proved too much to overcome for Kitchen on San Marco, which announced through social media it would close permanently.
In a Facebook post Tuesday, Kitchen on San Marco announced the storm caused extensive damage to its 1402 San Marco Blvd. location when floodwaters engulfed part of the building.
It had closed days before Irma hit the Jacksonville area in the early hours of Sept. 12.
“We will be providing extensive support to assist our employees in obtaining other employment in the culinary field,” the statement reads.
The post said if an opportunity arises for a return to the market, “we would welcome it.”
The restaurant opened in April 2015 and is owned by Education Corporation of America, which also operates Virginia College, a for-profit, private institution.
The Jacksonville location was one of three “Kitchen on” branded restaurants in the U.S. along with Kitchen on George in Mobile, Alabama, and Kitchen on Cary in Richmond, Virginia.
It also functioned as an employment pipeline and learning lab for culinary and pastry students at Culinard, the Culinary Institute of Virginia College campus in Jacksonville.
Serving lunch and dinner daily, the restaurant’s website described its menu as “imaginative, upscale cooking with a casual dining experience, including a wide selection of craft beers, carefully curated specialty cocktails, and a friendly wine list.”
A phone number listed on the restaurant’s website is disconnected. Calls and emails to the public relations firm representing the gastropub were not immediately returned.
Calls to Virginia College were not returned.