The Jacksonville City Council gave final approval May 14 for D’Bo’s Daiquiris, Wings & Seafood to open in Riverside.
The Memphis-based restaurant chain plans to open at 901 King St. in the former Jazzy’s Restaurant and Lounge space.
The Council vote 17-1, with Council member Matt Carlucci opposed, to approve a zoning exception allowing the consumption of alcoholic beverages at the site. Council member Raul Arias was not present for the vote.
The Council’s Land Use and Zoning Committee voted 6-0 on May 7 in favor of the zoning exception.
The website What Now Jacksonville reported in mid-April that D’Bo’s had chosen the site at College and King streets for its first Jacksonville location.
D’Bo’s specializes in hot wings, with other menu items including crab, shrimp, lobster, catfish, burgers, hot dogs and sides. It also sells hot sauce, mild sauce and all-purpose dry seasoning, as well as frozen daiquiris.
For the zoning exception, city staff recommended approval on the condition that the restaurant be limited to 151 seats and operate between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m., with no music or amplified sound allowed outside.
Jessica Tyree, the agent for the applicant, said at the May 7 meeting of the Land Use and Zoning Committee that the restaurant would have 121 seats.
Hours will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday, she said.
In addition to Jacksonville, D’Bo’s plans to expand to Atlanta, Chicago and Winter Haven. It currently has locations in Memphis and Detroit.
David and Leticia Boyd founded the company in 1990 as a food truck, maxing out their credit cards to start the restaurant.
Previous tenants of the building include Jazzy’s, which closed in 2023, a second Jacksonville location of the Hamburger Mary’s drag-themed restaurant chain, and the Blind Rabbit.