By Carter Mudgett, Reporter, Jacksonville Business Journal
An American classic is expanding in St. Johns — the county issued an interior build-out permit of Metro Diner Monday.
The new spot will be at 2851 County Road 210 W., Suite 122. Construction will cost nearly $700,000, per county records, and Tampa-based TWT Restaurant Design, Construction & Development Company is listed as the contractor.
Founded in 1992 by the Davoli family, Metro Diner began in Jacksonville.
ConSul Partners — which includes Connerty, former CEO of Outback Steakhouse International, Outback co-founder Chris Sullivan and Carl Sahlsten, a former president of Carrabba’s Italian Grill — acquired all of Metro Diner’s intellectual property in late 2015.
It had nine locations then, and over 60 across 12 states today. Metro Diner also gained national attention after being featured on Guy Fieri’s Food Network show, “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.”
There are seven Metro Diner spots in Jacksonville, and another two split between St. Augustine and Palm Coast, according to a map on its website. This will make the latter area’s third.
Monday’s permit builds on the chains’ expansion efforts in Northeast Florida.
Metro Diner last year announced the opening of a new location in Lakeland, offering the brand’s fried chicken and waffles — a dish featuring half a fried chicken on a Belgian waffle topped with powdered sugar — Iron City meatloaf and Charleston shrimp and grits.
Before that, it opened another in Brandon.