JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The restaurant’s answering machine leaves no hint that the eatery is shuttered, asking callers to leave a message to reserve a table for its dinner or Sunday brunch.
But as employees and suppliers learned Monday morning, a sign taped to the front door of the much-heralded Sbraga & Co. simply said “We’re sad to say the restaurant is closed and no longer operating.”
The shutdown marks the second time in just over a year that one of noted chef Kevin Sbraga’s restaurants has closed. Sbraga Dining spokeswoman Esha Dev sent a comment late Monday on the closing, thanking the Jacksonville restaurant staff for their “hard work and commitment.” She indicated that the abrupt Monday closure wasn’t their plan.
“It was not a Sbraga Dining’s decision to close the restaurant and lock employees out,” the statement said. “We are saddened by the abrupt action that was taken, and are doing what we can to help everyone work through the transition.”
The email goes on to thank the city for welcoming them “with open arms,” and wish the 220 Riverside complex “the best of luck in flourishing as a community.”.
Opened in November as the first of three new eateries in the 220 Riverside mixed-use building overlooking the Unity Plaza fountain and amphitheater, Sbraga & Co. was the brainchild of a man who won season seven of Bravo’s “Top Chef.” Sbraga’s Jacksonville restaurant was followed by Hobnob in late March, then Charlotte-based Brixx Wood Fire Pizza a few weeks ago in the ground-floor retail section of the condominium. Sbraga & Co. seated 175 inside and 32 on the patio with prices ranging from $4 to $12 for small plates and $16 to $31 for larger.
Unity Plaza interim director Kristi Lee Schatz said the restaurant’s closure is between the restaurateur and the landlord, NAI Hallmark Partners, adding that her office was just notified about it Monday morning.
She said a few signs and a general restaurant flag are at Riverside Avenue and Forest Street to alert drivers to the businesses in Unity’s courtyard. But more could be in the works.
“Additional signage is in discussion to support all businesses occupying the plaza,” she said.
Hallmark principal and co-founder Alex Coley, whose company developed the $40 million 220 Riverside mixed-use apartments/retail project and adjacent Unity Plaza, did not immediately return a telephone message requesting information on the restaurant closure and future plans for the site.
Sbraga & Co. was the chef’s first commercial project outside Philadelphia. He had already opened namesake restaurant Sbraga in 2011 in Philadelphia. Fat Ham opened in 2013, with Juniper Commons opening in late 2014, later that year in Philadelphia. But less than six months later, Juniper Commons shut down on May 30, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
As for Sbraga & Co., the chef’s website, sbragadining.com, still listed the Jacksonville restaurant as open, while its answering machine continued to offer dining hours earlier Monday.
A photo posted by Kevin Sbraga (@kevinsbraga) on