Fleming Island-based Crazy Beans Coffee is planning a breakfast and lunch cafe on the ground floor of the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center in LaVilla.
The shop would be the chain’s second in Northeast Florida. The first is at 1545 County Road 220 in Fleming Island.
Erika Cline, former owner of Bleu Chocolat Cafe in Springfield, is the shop’s general manager.
The city issued a permit Dec. 3 for the $42,000 build-out for Crazy Beans Coffee at 100 LaVilla Center Drive. Masline Construction LLC is the contractor.
Jacksonville Transportation Authority Director of Communications David Cawton II said Crazy Beans is planning to open in early 2021. It will be near the customer waiting area.
Crazy Beans will serve hot and iced coffee drinks, teas and blended beverages along with breakfast and lunch.
Martin Coffee Co. supplies the coffee beans.
Breakfast and lunch offerings include Southern grits, Belgian waffles, “crazy” avocado toast, cinnamon coffee cake and muffins. The lunch menu includes chicken and tuna salad, quiche, veggie burgers and soup. Desserts include cookies, cakes and brownies.
The 67,000-square-foot regional transportation center opened in May. It is JTA’s main bus transfer facility, administrative headquarters and regional mobility hub.
Owner Herbert Bartley said opening a shop in the JRTC was "a no brainer." He and his brother and co-owner Edgar Bartley had already been searching for a place to open a second location when they heard about the opportunity in LaVilla.
"The functionality of the location Downtown, it puts us on front street," Herbert Bartley said. "It doesn't take much marketing to have close to 2,000, 3,000 customers in there, 150 offices and 10,000 commuters every day. So it's almost like being in a football game in the stadium every day of the week."
They were considering a location in Oakleaf, but may open a third location there in the future.
“This new amenity will benefit JTA customers and employees by creating a much-needed breakfast and lunch destination at the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center at LaVilla,” said JTA CEO Nathaniel P. Ford Sr.
“Part of our mission at the JTA is supporting local, small and minority-owned businesses like Crazy Beans Cafe. This effort is especially important after the difficult year the restaurant industry faced in 2020.”
Cline operated Bleu Chocolat Cafe from 2018 to January 2020, when it closed.
She is a credentialed pastry chef and has appeared on TV. She has been a contestant on Bravo’s “Top Chef Just Desserts” and served as a judge on the Food Network’s “Rock ’n’ Roll Pastry Challenge.” She has cooked at the James Beard House in New York City.
