The Bread & Board Restaurant To Expand Into Downtown at VyStar Headquarters

Plans include restaurant and specialty marketplace – Bread & Board Provisions

 The Bread & Board continues to branch out from its Five Points neighborhood roots. The restaurant, best known for its baked in-house artisan breads and meats served as sandwiches or sandwich boards, is adding a location at VyStar Credit Union’s headquarters campus in Downtown Jacksonville. More than a restaurant, the 7,200 sq. ft., ground-level space, at 100 W. Bay St., will include a specialty marketplace – Bread & Board Provisions – stocked with top culinary offerings and local retailers.

“We are excited to have been approached by VyStar about leasing the space, and for the chance to expand our restaurant concept to create this farmers-market bazaar of sorts,” said Dwayne Beliakoff, co-founder of The Bread & Board. “Our specialty marketplace, Bread & Board Provisions, will help fill a growing need in downtown by giving residents, business crowds, hotel guests and more than 1,000 VyStar employees both a new restaurant and boutique carry-out experience. It’s been designed to be an alternative to a traditional campus food court. The market will allow guests to immerse themselves in the best tastes, retail and authentic experiences from top local vendors, artisans, specialty purveyors, pastry chefs and craft beer certified Cicerones.”

The Bread & Board will bring its original contemporary casual menu with made-to-order sandwiches and sandwich boards, salads and entrees and will add a grab-and-go selection of pre-packaged items made fresh daily.  The Five Points-based eatery’s co-founders Beliakoff and Jonathan Cobbs are curating an array of local food, beverage and retail partners in the Bread & Board Provisions market:

• Good Dough, handmade, from-scratch doughnuts
• Alewife Craft Beer Bottle Shop, craft beer taproom and bottle shop
• Bee Friends Farm, Florida raw honey
• Layered: Cakes & Sweets by Anita Adams, cakes, cookies and pastries
• Martin Coffee, Jacksonville’s original specialty coffee roaster
• Saturiwa Trading Company, fresh local and seasonal produce and specialty ingredients
• Bark Urban Dog Boutique, natural foods, novelties and baked treats for dogs

When the downtown location opens this summer, it will be The Bread & Board’s third restaurant, joining the original Five Points restaurant and the St. Johns Town Center North restaurant – opening this spring. “We are excited to be part of VyStar’s commitment to the community and to commerce in the urban core,” said Cobbs.

“As we continue settling into our new home downtown and building out our VyStar Campus, we are committed to finding creative ways to bring the community together,” said Brian Wolfburg, President/CEO of VyStar Credit Union. “We are eager to forge partnerships with local businesses such as The Bread & Board that have a shared vision of contributing to a more dynamic Downtown Jacksonville by stimulating the local economy and growing a tightknit community that can be enjoyed by all.”

Thomas Duke Architecture, P.A. in collaboration with Micamy Design are handling the design process. “We are thrilled to be working with Micamy Design on the project,” said Tom Duke, architect. “The Bread & Board storefront is at a main intersection of W. Bay and Laura Streets which are major pedestrian corridors connecting Hemming Park to the river. Our entire team is excited about opportunities to engage people on the street and create visual interest with the restaurant’s design.”

The marketplace will feel uniquely Florida in its design and ambiance, incorporating repurposed local timber and hardwood, cool surfaces such as granite and marble and a color palette that evokes a sense of coastal living in Northeast Florida. The layout will feature a mixture of contemporary-casual, communal style seating as well as traditional restaurant-setting dining to promote a social gathering space for the community, complete with café tables, tap room bar stools and small benches.  A breezeway will bring outdoor seating, welcoming employees and neighbors to the market and other amenities. The market will also be outfitted with a kitchen designed to accommodate the large volume of lunch crowds and catering demands for Downtown Jacksonville.

Approximately 5,000 sq. ft. will be dedicated to the restaurant and 2,200 will be for the marketplace. Amanda Kinkade of Kinkade Commercial represented The Bread & Board, and Katy Figg and Nancy Sumner with Colliers International’s Jacksonville office represented VyStar Credit Union in the lease agreement. The Bread & Board’s arrival will contribute to a dynamic, best-in-class tenant mix for the credit union’s commercial real estate holdings — reflecting a shared commitment between Colliers International and VyStar Credit Union to contribute to Downtown Jacksonville’s economic development.

“As Downtown development continues to gain momentum, local restaurants and retailers are investing in Jacksonville’s central business district. This concept builds upon The Bread & Board’s success while delivering a new option that will be perfectly suited to accommodate the neighborhood’s unique demographic. We hope this transaction inspires other local restaurant groups to invest in Downtown and become part of the neighborhood’s revitalization,” said Figg.