The owner of a local Burger King franchise aims to introduce “fresh new images” to Northeast Florida as part of an effort to meet updated franchise standards.
Just a week after issuing a demolition permit, the city has approved the construction of a new Burger King at 7725 Lem Turner Road in Northwest Jacksonville. This move is part of the franchise owner’s broader plan to renovate or rebuild its area restaurants.
North Coast Construction Co., based in St. Augustine, has been contracted to build the new 2,920-square-foot restaurant, which will feature 53 seats, at a cost of nearly $1.75 million. This same company is responsible for the $20,000 demolition of the current 3,171-square-foot building.
The existing restaurant, originally built in 1971, occupies a 1.21-acre site west of Interstate 95 near Edgewood Avenue West.
Royal Restaurant Group, based in West Palm Beach, purchased this restaurant in 2023 as part of a 24-restaurant acquisition in Northeast Florida. The franchise owner is also renovating another Burger King location in West Jacksonville.
On June 24, the city issued a permit for a $200,000 renovation at the Burger King located at 7320 103rd St. in West Jacksonville. Southport Construction, headquartered in Clearwater, is handling this renovation.
In a statement from November, Randy Pianin, co-founder and CEO of Royal Restaurant Group LLC, expressed the company’s intention to renovate several locations in the area, aiming to bring “fresh new Burger King images to Jacksonville.”
Both the Lem Turner Road and 103rd Street locations are being designed in line with Burger King’s Garden Grill concept. Gershen Associates, an architectural firm based in Miami, is overseeing the design for both projects.
The Garden Grill concept was first introduced by Burger King internationally in 2011. According to Tom Curtis, North America President of Burger King, nearly half of the brand’s U.S. locations are expected to feature the Garden Grill and new Sizzle design by the end of 2024. Curtis noted in an interview with QSR Magazine in October 2023 that many of these conversions don’t require a full teardown if the existing foundation is solid.