More than 16 months in the works, Sugar Factory American Brasserie has an opening date for its new restaurant at the Markets at Town Center.
Then again, it has had multiple opening dates. And each time those opening dates — half a dozen or more — have been pushed back a week or more.
That may finally (maybe) change this week.
According to the restaurant’s website, a grand opening is planned for Friday. And late last week, reservations were accepted through OpenTable for seating as early as 11 on Wednesday, a welcome sign for diners eager to be among the first to sample the Sugar Factory’s decadent desserts.
But by Monday, the first available reservations had been pushed back to 11 a.m. on Thursday, March 16. Previous reservations had been canceled “due to unforeseen delays that did not allow us to open as expected.”
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What is the Sugar Factory famous for?
Billed as “the sweetest place on earth,” the restaurant is unlike any other and promises guests a one-of-a-kind experience, Larry Rudolph, Sugar Factory partner, said in a November 2021 email to the Times-Union.
Popularized by celebrities and social media influencers, the high-end confectionary and restaurant is known for its $25, celebrity-approved couture pops and its decadent desserts, including $20 milkshakes, $17 sundaes and the $99 “World Famous Sugar Factory King Kong Sundae” with 24 . of ice cream.
In addition to its sweet treats, Sugar Factory offers a variety of “Monster Burgers” ($18-25) and other entrees, including chicken and waffles ($28), pan-fried salmon ($35), fried lobster tail fries ($45) and a Black Angus filet and Lobster surf and turf ($78). The menu also includes pasta, salads and soups.
When is the grand opening for the Sugar Factory in Jacksonville?
A big promo on the restaurant’s website shows a grand opening on Friday the 10th. March for the restaurant located in the former Brio Tuscan Grille location at 4910 Big Island Drive, near St. Johns Town Center.
Scheduled to host the event is actor/rapper/comedian Nick Cannon, perhaps best known to many as the host of Fox’s wildly popular “The Masked Singer” reality singing competition show. A DJ set is planned for 9 p.m
Reservations for the grand opening event are available by phone only, at (904) 551-0961.
Is Sugar Factory still coming to Jacksonville?
Due to delay upon delay, so many people have googled the question, that the search engine automatically offers the question as a suggested query.
The restaurant first announced it would be coming to Jacksonville in November 2021, taking over the former Brio Tuscan Grille location that was vacated in early 2020.
The first building permit for the project was not issued until early March 2022. At that time, the estimated cost to remodel the 8,535-square-foot restaurant was estimated at $2.5 million. Six months later, permits were issued for the restaurant’s sign. But they didn’t go up until mid-February, the Jacksonville Daily Record reported. I guess that was after a handful of opening dates had come and gone.
The latest permit, a fire permit, was granted Thursday, according to city records.
As of Friday, the restaurant’s application with Florida’s Department of Business & Professional Regulation was still listed as “in progress,” not unusual for a restaurant days before its scheduled opening.
Is Sukkerfabrikken still hiring?
According to the company’s website, Sugar Factory is still hiring for the Jacksonville location. A post on the job recruitment site actually lists vacancies for cooks, hosts, bussers and dishwashers.
How many Sugar Factory restaurants are there in Florida?
Of the 21 restaurants open in the US, four are in Florida: Aventura, Miami, Orlando and Tampa. In addition to Jacksonville, another restaurant is in the works for Miami Beach.
