The Flamingo bar and cafe in Murray Hill would open a location on the Downtown Southbank under a proposal scheduled before the Downtown Investment Authority board Aug. 21.
The board will consider providing a $53,430 Retail Enhancement Program grant to Flamingo Coffee Roasters LLC to establish a 1,781-square-foot bar and restaurant in the Hanania Place building at 1200 Riverplace Blvd.
According to a staff report on the proposal, the Southbank location would be modeled on The Flamingo at 1176 Edgewood Ave. S. in Murray Hill. That establishment, which opened in 2018, serves coffee, beer, wine, pastries and sandwiches.
“The Southbank store will be very similar while catering to a clientele that includes office workers and residents of high-rise condos instead of bungalows,” the staff report says.
Build-out costs are listed at $157,950 in DIA documents, which state that bringing the bar to the building is “part of the ongoing plan by the new owners, Jacksonville-based Hanania family, to upgrade the building and its occupancy, including the retail.”
The project development team is identified as Flamingo Coffee Roasters LLC COO Donald Webb and CEO Paul Carr. Webb is the owner/operator of the Murray Hill location, while Carr focuses on the concept and growth of the Flamingo brand.
The day-to-day manager of the Southbank location will be Natalia El-Ghali, who has worked with Flamingo for two years. The group plans to hire at least five bartenders/baristas and two kitchen staff.
Hours will be 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 7 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.
“Sharing the lobby of the 10-story Hanania Building with a sandwich deli that closes at 3 pm allows Flamingo the be the premier food and beverage establishment to those floors but will also serve as a destination for those in the surrounding office buildings,” the staff report says.
“The residents of the Southbank, both in the high-rise condominiums and apartment buildings all within a short walk, are also identified as a market for the Flamingo. In addition to a light meal, cup of coffee, or evening glass of wine, the Flamingo will also offer coffee beans or grounds, cold brew growlers and package beer and wine for those residents.”
A menu attached to the staff report includes breakfast items, pastries, a chicken salad sandwich and other food items from $5 to $18; coffee and tea drinks from $3.25 to $5; 23 beers from $4 to $7; and wine options from $12 to $35.
The grant is structured as three-year forgivable loan payable upon substantial completion of the build-out.
Operations revenue is projected as $460,404 in year one, increasing to $575,505 in the second year.
The DIA meets at 2 p.m. in the Main Library at 303 N. Laura St. in Downtown Jacksonville.