An expansion of Murray Hill’s Flamingo bar and cafe is cleared for takeoff.
On Aug. 21, the Downtown Investment Authority board approved a $53,430 Retail Enhancement Program grant to Flamingo Coffee Roasters LLC to establish a 1,781-square-foot coffee, wine and beer bar and restaurant in the Hanania Place building at 1200 Riverplace Blvd. on the Downtown Southbank.
The DIA board’s 6-0 vote constitutes final action on the grant. The DIA administers the REP grant funding, which has already been approved by the Jacksonville City Council, and therefore a subsequent Council vote is not required.
Plans for the Southbank location show it being 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.
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.
DIA board member Scott Wohlers, Carr’s brother-in-law, abstained from the vote on the grant.
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.
The Flaming will share the Hanania Building’s lobby with a sandwich deli that closes at 3 p.m.
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 a 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.