Southern Grounds & Co. opened its pre-security restaurant at Jacksonville International Airport, which means the Jacksonville-based coffee shop and restaurant concept is available before and after the checkpoints.
The construction walls came down July 24 in the pre-security area.
HMSHost, which developed the restaurant with Southern Grounds, said starting July 31 hours will be 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Until then, hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Jacksonville-based Southern Grounds offers food, grab-and-go items, a full-service bar and its blueberry bakery to provide gourmet pastries and desserts.
The space, totaling about 2,400 square feet, includes diner seating. Plans show 45 seats.
Southern Grounds owner Mark Janasik posted a copy of its full spirits and cordial menu on social media that shows wine, beer, and cocktails. The bar area is left of the walk-up counter.
The city issued a permit Dec. 22 for Auld & White Constructors LLC to renovate almost 2,000 square feet of space at a project cost of $300,000.
It is Jacksonville-based Southern Grounds’ second location at the airport. It opened Feb. 16 in Concourse A post-security.
Janasik is developing the shops in a partnership and licensing agreement with HMSHost and with the Jacksonville Aviation Authority.
The pre-security space previously was occupied by Starbucks, Made in JAX and parts of the airport gallery. Starbucks has two locations post-security.
The new Southern Grounds is double the size of its Concourse A shop.
“There’s plenty of seating to accommodate travelers and/or meeters and greeters that may want to sit down and enjoy their coffee or grab a bite to eat,” said authority Marketing & Public Relations Manager Greg Willis.
