Southern Roost, which specializes in boneless chicken dishes, is planning a restaurant in Wildlight in Nassau County.
It would be the first Florida location for the Georgia-based chain.
It is planned off north Florida 200 at Wildworks Avenue, about 2 miles east of Interstate 95.
Site plans for the fast-casual restaurant show a 4,942-square-foot restaurant with a dual drive-thru and 51 parking spaces.
Southern Roost has two Georgia locations – one in Blackshear and another in Kingsland, which held a grand opening Feb. 3.
Mobile, Alabama-based Gulf State Engineering is the civil engineer for the Nassau County location. The land is owned by Raydient Places + Properties, a division of Rayonier Inc., through Wildlight LLC.
Raydient is the developer of the 24,000-acre Wildlight master-planned community.
The restaurant is part of the Waycross-based Concept 99 Group portfolio. The management company and franchiser oversees restaurants Jerry J’s, which has four locations serving Southern menu items, and Hog-N-Bones, which has six sites focused on barbecue. All three restaurants serve breakfast.
Southern Roost’s menu includes fried and grilled chicken tenders, salads and bowls.
Specialty sandwiches include the Dirty Bird, made with house-made pimento cheese and bacon jam; the Rippin’ Roost, topped with buffalo sauce and ranch dressing; and the Grilled Chicken Club, served with lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayonnaise, bacon and Colby Jack cheese.
Its sides include pimento cheese grits, cheese curds, broccoli cheddar soup, grape salad and seasoned wedges.
Consistent with its other locations, hours will likely be 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with the restaurant closed Sunday.
“Our lunch and dinner hours will accommodate everyone, from Little League practices to business luncheons and more,” its website says.
Southern Roost would join other Yulee dining options, including Anejo Cocina, Firehouse Subs and Grumpy’s. Huey Magoo’s, another chicken-based restaurant concept, and Wawa both opened July 11, 2024.
The Nassau County Development Review Committee reviewed the plans, which are in the preapplication phase, at its Feb. 25 meeting at the James S. Page Governmental Complex in Yulee. It advised on off-street parking, bicycle parking, lighting standards and landscaping.
To move forward, Southern Roost must submit a formal application so the committee can make a formal recommendation to the county.