Top Dawg Tavern intends to open its first Jacksonville area restaurant in January in the Shoppes at Bartram Park.
It will be the sixth location for the family-owned company, which started in 2013.
Founders and owners Brett and Renee Summers work from their home in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, a Charleston suburb.
They opened their first restaurant March 4, 2013, in Bethlehem, Georgia, outside Athens, because they lived nearby. Athens is the home of the University of Georgia and its Georgia Bulldogs.
“We were both working and traveling quite a bit. When we decided to start a family, we realized we wanted a different lifestyle,” said Renee Summers on Sept. 24.
“So we decided we would start our own business.”
The latest opened in July in Hilton Head, South Carolina, with the others in Columbia and Summerville, South Carolina, and in Augusta, Georgia.
In Jacksonville, the city is reviewing a permit application for Duncan & Duncan Construction Management of Palm Coast to renovate the former Panera Bread at a cost of $276,480.
The Shoppes at Bartram Park brochure shows Top Dawg in 4,800 square feet at 13820 Old St. Augustine Road, in the Publix Super Markets-anchored center.
Panera Bread moved into a stand-alone building.
Regency Centers Corp. owns the shopping center.“Top Dawg Tavern is a great operation with a fantastic story. We think they’ll be the perfect fit for the surrounding neighborhood and are proud to help them expand into Florida for the first time," said Eric Apple, Regency Centers leasing agent.
Topdawgtavern.com says Brett and Renee Summers “dreamed up the idea of creating the perfect place for them to grab a bite to eat, have a drink and enjoy time together with friends and family.”
It says they wanted a gathering place for everyone that was casual, comfortable, welcoming and fun.
“Being die-hard sports fans – it also needed to be a place to watch all their favorite sports.”
Owner and Vice President Renee Summers said her parents previously lived in Jacksonville, so she is familiar with the area.
Summers said Jacksonville is a strong location, with the Bartram Park area of South Jacksonville “a perfect spot.”
“We are always looking to see if there is a good site,” she said. “Right now, we have the one.”
Summer said the Bartram Park location is in an established area with nearby homes and businesses.
The shell space allows Top Dawg to create the dining area and kitchen along with an indoor-outdoor bar, a private dining area, kids room and a patio.
Summers estimates 320-340 seats, making it the largest Top Dawg Tavern.
She said Top Dawg opens at 11 a.m. daily and serves lunch and dinner. Sunday brunch is 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Daily closing hours have not been set.
Summers said the company hires about 55 people to open.
The menu features starters that include filet bites, ahi tuna, shrimp, fried green tomatoes, fried green beans and more, ranging in price from $4 for chips and salsa to $14 for BBQ Nachos with barbecue pork or chopped brisket.
Traditional and boneless wings are $10 to $29. Tavern burgers start at $9.50; sandwiches at $8; and a build-your-own salad at $9.
Favorites range from $9 for a veggie stir fry to $16 for sweet bourbon salmon.
There are sides, a kids menu, lunch specials, desserts and brunch.
“We can accommodate most appetites,” Summers said.
“Most of all, we are affordable.”
Top Dawg has a children’s area with an interactive floor and activities. The couple has a daughter, Genevieve, 9, who was an inspiration for it.
It also has a full-service bar, including local craft beers, and it caters to sports fans with TVs and the SEC Network, ACC Network and Big Ten Network as well as NFL Sunday Ticket. It has a DirecTV package.
Summers said she and her husband want to expand the business within their corporate footprints in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
The name reflects Renee Summers’ college support.
“Go Dawgs!! I’m a Georgia fan and so is my daughter,” she said by email. Genevieve was born in Athens, Georgia.
Brett Summers “is an Oklahoma fan,” she said.
