“Grumpy’s Restaurant Kickstarts Franchise Expansion Amid Pandemic” featured on the Franchising.com.

Beloved Jacksonville diner announces second franchise deal in two months

September 02, 2020 // Franchising.com // JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - With business booming at its original Orange Park location, Grumpy’s Restaurant has been taking strides in its franchise expansion efforts throughout the pandemic. The beloved award-winning diner concept has now signed for its first two franchisees, the most recent deal being for their upcoming restaurant opening in St. Johns, FL. Slated to open early 2021, Grumpy’s second franchise location will be opening up at The Fountains at St. Johns, 1610 CR210 West.

This announcement comes shortly after the brand signed its first franchisee to own and operate its upcoming location in Middleburg. While the pandemic has caused a lot of pushback for many franchise concepts, Grumpy’s Restaurant has taken it as an opportunity to connect with the local community and get to know franchisees that align with the brand’s values. Both the Middleburg and St. Johns locations were set to be corporately owned, but President and CEO Daniel DeLeon felt that the candidates were the perfect fit to serve as Grumpy’s first two franchisees. Local owners Leah and Justin Milliken will be opening up the St. Johns location and are proud to join a franchisor with such strong ties to the local area.

“Living in Northeast Florida, we have gotten to know Grumpy’s very well. It’s our family’s favorite restaurant,” said Leah. “We love the atmosphere, food, and culture. This is a great opportunity for us to build a local staple in St. Johns County where families and friends can come together over great diner food. We are also very excited to be able to provide over 40 jobs to people in our local community, even during these crazy economic times.”

Throughout the pandemic, Grumpy’s has made headlines in the Jacksonville community because of DeLeon’s efforts to give back. To keep his staff employed as dining rooms were shut down, DeLeon forfeited his own salary, donated produce to residents who couldn’t afford groceries, and launched a community action campaign to deliver meals to first responders. As Grumpy’s expands to new communities in NE Florida, DeLeon is making an effort to partner with franchisees who embody Grumpy’s family-focused values.

“The pandemic allowed us to step up in our community in ways we had never done before,” said DeLeon. “People resonate with our values and this has drawn in franchisees who embody the Grumpy’s culture. We’re looking for family-oriented people who can recreate the same atmosphere that we have in Orange Park in their own home communities. We are so excited to continue franchising and helping people become business owners.”

Leah and Justin have committed to opening one Grumpy’s at this time, but are hopeful to open multiple locations in the future. Moving forward, Grumpy’s Restaurant is eyeing other towns in Northeast Florida to open franchisee-owned locations. The brand is seeking out hardworking individuals looking to follow their entrepreneurial spirits in Mandarin, Fruit Cove, Ortega, Southside, Wildlight, Beaches, Yulee, Amelia Island, and St. Augustine.

The award-winning diner prides itself on high quality comfort food, sweet southern hospitality all at a working-class price. Grumpy’s serves breakfast, lunch and brunch along with an array of daily and weekly chalk board specials which include a variety of sandwiches, homemade soups, salads, signature coffee, fresh squeezed juices, homemade hot chocolate and desserts. The diner classics and innovative twists have brought in numerous awards and accolades, including Jacksonville’s “Best Overall Restaurant” by the Florida Times-Union.

Including a franchise fee of $40,000, the initial investment necessary to open a single location ranges between $331,200 and $805,000. Each Grumpy’s Restaurant location will occupy approximately 2,700 square feet of real estate and will have approximately 106 seats.

About Grumpy’s Restaurant

Founded in 1999 and franchising since 2019, Grumpy’s Restaurant is a traditional Americana, full-service restaurant offering breakfast, lunch and brunch. Grumpy’s offers fresh, made-to-order and always-made-from-scratch menu items at an affordable, family-friendly price. Today there is one location open and two franchise locations in development in the Jacksonville area. For more information, visit the Grumpy’s Restaurant website.

For more information, visit: www.GrumpysRestaurantCo.com/Grumpys-Blog

Check out Grumpy’s Restaurant and the whole article at “Franchising.com” hosted by Franchising.com.

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“Grumpy’s Restaurant announces second franchisee” featured on the JaxDailyRecord.com.

The chain’s third location will open in The Fountains at St. Johns early next year.

by: Katie Garwood Staff Writer

Grumpy’s Restaurant announced Sept. 2 its second franchisee, Leah and Justin Milliken, will open a location in the Fountains at St. Johns on County Road 210 in St. Johns County.

The restaurant announced its first franchise for its Middleburg restaurant in August. It plans to open in October at 1805 Blanding Blvd., Suite 107, in Clay County.

 Grumpy’s President and CEO Daniel DeLeon said in a news release he did not initially intend to franchise two restaurants, but found a good fit to run both locations.

“The pandemic allowed us to step up in our community in ways we had never done before,” DeLeon said. “People resonate with our values and this has drawn in franchisees who embody the Grumpy’s culture. We’re looking for family-oriented people who can recreate the same atmosphere that we have in Orange Park in their own home communities.”

The Fountains at St. Johns location at 1610 County Road 210 W.  plans to open early next year. 

The Millikens will open one location for now, but hope to have more in the coming years. 

“Living in Northeast Florida, we have gotten to know Grumpy’s very well. It’s our family’s favorite restaurant,” Leah Milliken said in the news release. “We love the atmosphere, food, and culture. This is a great opportunity for us to build a local staple in St. Johns County where families and friends can come together over great diner food.”

Grumpy’s serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It features Southern comfort food, sandwiches, soups, coffee and desserts.

It was founded in 1999 in Orange Park at 834 Kingsley Ave.  and began offering franchises in 2019.

The initial investment to open a single location is between $331,200 and $805,000, which includes a $40,000 franchise fee. Each Grumpy’s is about 2,700 square feet with 106 seats.

The restaurant is seeking more franchisees to open in Mandarin, Fruit Cove, Ortega, Southside, Wildlight, the Beaches, Yulee, Amelia Island and St. Augustine, the release said. 

For more information, visit: www.GrumpysRestaurantCo.com/Grumpys-Blog

Check out Grumpy’s Restaurant and the whole article at “RestaurantNews.com” hosted by JaxDailyRecord.com.

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Grumpy’s SHRIMP & GRITS

Chef Grumpy has been hard at work making our Specials even better. Grumpy’s latest addition to our specials menu is: Grumpy’s Shrimp & Grits!

We start with making our famous Southern Style Grits Infused With: Smoked Gouda Cheese & Roasted Poblano Peppers. Topped With: 6 Sauté Jumbo Shrimp & Smoked Sausage. All In A Light House Sauce Made With Lemon Juice & Louisiana Hot Sauce. We finish Grumpy’s Shrimp & Grits With Scallions, Fresh Bacon, Tomatoes & Freshly Grated Smoked Gouda Cheese.

For more information, visit our blog at:

https://www.grumpysrestaurantco.com/grumpys-blog

Create A Back To School Brunch Sandwich with: News4Jax, CW17 & Grumpy’s Restaurant!

Back To School They Go!

Grumpy's Restaurant Voted Jacksonville’s Best Brunch by: CW17, New4Jax & Jax Best 2020! Also, Voted Jacksonville’s Best Breakfast by: CW17, New4Jax & Jax Best 2018 & 2019!

For more information, visit the Grumpy's blog: https://www.grumpysrestaurantco.com/grumpys-blog

Check out Grumpy’s Restaurant and the whole First Coast News segment at “News4Jax.com” hosted by www.News4Jax.com.

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Grumpy’s Restaurant, featured in “Grumpy’s Restaurant Opening First Franchise Location in Middleburg This Fall” on the RestaurantNews.com.

Beloved Jacksonville diner signs first franchise agreement for second local restaurant

Jacksonville, FL  (RestaurantNews.com)  With business booming after safely reopening its flagship location in Orange Park, Grumpy’s Restaurant is announcing that its second location will be officially opening on October 5th at Branan Field Walk, 1805 Blanding Boulevard, Suite 107, Middleburg, FL 32068.

This will be the restaurant’s first franchise location, operated by local owner Dell Hoard. Hoard, a lifelong Middleburg resident, is excited for the opportunity to pursue his dream of becoming a business owner while investing in his hometown of Middleburg. Grumpy’s was the only franchise he considered joining because of its family-based values and community engagement.

“The original Grumpy’s has created an amazing community in Orange Park, and we are really excited to build that same close-knit atmosphere in Middleburg.” said Hoard. “Whenever a guest walks through our doors, we will make sure they feel like a part of the Grumpy’s family. It’s a brand that has a lot of recognition in the area and we are excited to push its presence even further.”

The award-winning diner prides itself on high quality comfort food, sweet southern hospitality all at a working-class price. Grumpy’s serves breakfast, lunch and brunch along with an array of daily and weekly chalk board specials which include a variety of sandwiches, homemade soups, salads, signature coffee, fresh squeezed juices, homemade hot chocolate and desserts. The diner classics and innovative twists have brought in numerous awards and allocates, including Jacksonville’s “Best Overall Restaurant” by the Florida Times-Union.

To celebrate the new restaurant, Grumpy’s is hosting two grand opening charity events in partnership with the First Coast YMCA. The event is tentatively scheduled for October 2nd and 3rd and plans to raise over $4,000. Tickets will be $10 and will go on sale in September.

Hoard has committed to opening the Middleburg location this fall, with plans to open additional locations in NE Florida in the future. The new location had originally been set to be corporately owned, but President and CEO Daniel DeLeon felt that Hoard would be the perfect first franchisee for the restaurant.

“Since we are such a personal and hands-on brand, letting a franchisee open a Grumpy’s is not something we take lightly,” said DeLeon. “We see an exciting future with Dell because of his passion to create something meaningful and take our mission to new communities.”

Throughout the pandemic, Grumpy’s has made headlines in the Jacksonville community because of DeLeon’s efforts to give back. To keep his staff employed as dining rooms were shut down, DeLeon forfeited his own salary, donated produce to residents who couldn’t afford groceries, and launched a community action campaign to deliver meals to first responders. As Grumpy’s expands to new communities in NE Florida, DeLeon is making an effort to partner with franchisees who embody Grumpy’s family-focused values.

Including a franchise fee of $40,000, the initial investment necessary to open a single location ranges between $331,200 and $805,000. Each Grumpy’s Restaurant location will occupy approximately 2,700 square feet of real estate and will have approximately 106 seats.

For more information about the Grumpy’s Restaurant franchise opportunity, visit www.GrumpysFranchise.com.

About Grumpy’s Restaurant

Founded in 1999 and franchising since 2019, Grumpy’s Restaurant is a traditional Americana, full-service restaurant offering breakfast, lunch and brunch. Grumpy’s offers fresh, made-to-order and always-made-from-scratch menu items at an affordable, family-friendly price. Today there is one location open and operating in Jacksonville, Florida. For more information, visit www.GrumpysRestaurantCo.com.

For more information, visit: www.GrumpysRestaurantCo.com/Grumpys-Blog

Check out Grumpy’s Restaurant and the whole article at “RestaurantNews.com” hosted by RestaurantNews.com.

See the page by clicking the button below:

We Won!

Travelers' Choice Award 2020!

BY: Trip Advisor

Each Year, Trip Advisor Combs Through Reviews, Ratings, and Saves From Travelers Everywhere, and Uses That Info To Award The Very Best. We Are Pleased To Be Part Of This Exclusive Group and Part Of The Top 10% Of Restaurants Worldwide.

It's Hard To Tell By Looking At Grumpy, But He Loves All Of His Customers and Staff Members! Thank You For Your Reviews, Ratings, Saves and Voting Grumpy's Restaurant As One Of Trip Advisors Best Restaurants and Now: Travelers’ Choice Award Winner!

For more information, visit: www.GrumpysRestaurantCo.com/Grumpys-Blog

Grumpy’s Restaurant, featured in “New Grumpy’s hopes to put smiles on hungry Middleburg diners” on the ClayTodayOnline.com.

By Bruce Hope bruce@opcfla.com

MIDDLEBURG – Grumpy’s, the award-winning Orange Park eatery, is expanding and soon will bring its Americana style breakfast, brunch and lunch to Middleburg.

“Middleburg residents will resonate with our passion and love for bringing family and friends together over great diner food,” said Daniel DeLeon, owner and CEO of Grumpy’s.

Middleburg native Dell Hoard is the co-owner of the new franchise, along with his parents. He will also serve as the general manager. Hoard recently spent a weekend in the kitchen at the Orange Park location, getting a feel for the business and seeing what it took to run a restaurant. According to DeLeon, he loved the experience, and it just went on from there.

“I’ve been going to Grumpy’s for a few years now,” said Hoard. “So for me, it was just going in there, just falling in love with the environment, I guess. I really like the Grumpy’s culture; the neighborhood feel, the southern hospitality. It just made me feel welcome. I grew up in Middleburg, so for me, it just kind of fit.”

Hoard loves the Grumpy’s model of getting a good meal without breaking the bank, as well the good feelings he gets when he goes there. Hoard is also a fan of the good things Grumpy’s does outside of the restaurant.

“I always liked going in there. I came out of there full, and I wasn’t spending a lot of money. It was relatively inexpensive. It was kind of a lot of things, I guess. I liked the close-knit community that I feel that they have. I’ve gotten to know Danny [DeLeon] over the last few months, but I also go to see him on social media and on the news, and I got to see the kind of person he was. Just speaking with him over the last few months while getting this restaurant set up, I also got to see that everything about him on the news is also true in person. He really promotes and wants that family feel; that environment when you go in that resonates with people everywhere,” he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic put a stranglehold on many businesses, but Grumpy’s is prepared for its newest chapter.

“We knew as a company that our resources were all going to be reinvested in doing this and setting up for replication,” said DeLeon. “So even pre-COVID, we were capitalized to use our resources to expand and grow, so that really put us in a good position…it put us in a good position to know that ok, we were saving for a rainy day because we knew we were planning on growing.” Although sales are still down, DeLeon believes Grumpy’s is still in an excellent position to grow.

This location will bring 35-40 new jobs into the Middleburg community. At a time when many are out of work and have limited income, this will be one way for Hoard to give back to his hometown.

The new franchise, located at 1805 Blanding Blvd., is slated to open on Oct. 5 but will have a soft opening before that on October 2-3. The proceeds from the soft opening on the second and third will go to benefit the local YMCA.

For more information, visit: www.GrumpysRestaurantCo.com/Grumpys-Blog

Check out Grumpy’s Restaurant and the whole article at “ClayTodayOnline.com” hosted by Business.com.

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Grumpy’s Restaurant, featured in “Grumpy’s Restaurant Opening First Franchise Location in Middleburg This Fall” on the Franchising.com.

Beloved Jacksonville diner signs first franchise agreement for second local restaurant

August 07, 2020 // Franchising.com // JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - With business booming after safely reopening its flagship location in Orange Park, Grumpy’s Restaurant is announcing that its second location will be officially opening on October 5th at Branan Field Walk, 1805 Blanding Boulevard, Suite 107, Middleburg, FL 32068.

This will be the restaurant’s first franchise location, operated by local owner Dell Hoard. Hoard, a lifelong Middleburg resident, is excited for the opportunity to pursue his dream of becoming a business owner while investing in his hometown of Middleburg. Grumpy’s was the only franchise he considered joining because of its family-based values and community engagement.

“The original Grumpy’s has created an amazing community in Orange Park, and we are really excited to build that same close-knit atmosphere in Middleburg.” said Hoard. “Whenever a guest walks through our doors, we will make sure they feel like a part of the Grumpy’s family. It’s a brand that has a lot of recognition in the area and we are excited to push its presence even further.”

The award-winning diner prides itself on high quality comfort food, sweet southern hospitality all at a working-class price. Grumpy’s serves breakfast, lunch and brunch along with an array of daily and weekly chalk board specials which include a variety of sandwiches, homemade soups, salads, signature coffee, fresh squeezed juices, homemade hot chocolate and desserts. The diner classics and innovative twists have brought in numerous awards and allocates, including Jacksonville’s “Best Overall Restaurant” by the Florida Times-Union.

To celebrate the new restaurant, Grumpy’s is hosting two grand opening charity events in partnership with the First Coast YMCA. The event is tentatively scheduled for October 2nd and 3rd and plans to raise over $4,000. Tickets will be $10 and will go on sale in September.

Hoard has committed to opening the Middleburg location this fall, with plans to open additional locations in NE Florida in the future. The new location had originally been set to be corporately owned, but President and CEO Daniel DeLeon felt that Hoard would be the perfect first franchisee for the restaurant.

“Since we are such a personal and hands-on brand, letting a franchisee open a Grumpy’s is not something we take lightly,” said DeLeon. “We see an exciting future with Dell because of his passion to create something meaningful and take our mission to new communities.”

Throughout the pandemic, Grumpy’s has made headlines in the Jacksonville community because of DeLeon’s efforts to give back. To keep his staff employed as dining rooms were shut down, DeLeon forfeited his own salary, donated produce to residents who couldn’t afford groceries, and launched a community action campaign to deliver meals to first responders. As Grumpy’s expands to new communities in NE Florida, DeLeon is making an effort to partner with franchisees who embody Grumpy’s family-focused values.

Including a franchise fee of $40,000, the initial investment necessary to open a single location ranges between $331,200 and $805,000. Each Grumpy’s Restaurant location will occupy approximately 2,700 square feet of real estate and will have approximately 106 seats.

About Grumpy’s Restaurant

Founded in 1999 and franchising since 2019, Grumpy’s Restaurant is a traditional Americana, full-service restaurant offering breakfast, lunch and brunch. Grumpy’s offers fresh, made-to-order and always-made-from-scratch menu items at an affordable, family-friendly price. Today there is one location open and operating in Jacksonville, Florida.

For more information, visit: www.GrumpysRestaurantCo.com/Grumpys-Blog

Check out Grumpy’s Restaurant and the whole article at “Franchising.com” hosted by Business.com.

See the page by clicking the button below: