When the owners of Keane\u2019s Tavern on May 20 asked the city to support the development of a listening den above their Irish-style pub on East Bay Street, they stressed what would make Vinyl Room different from other Jacksonville venues. They cited events themed around records, state-of-the-art speaker systems and a snacky menu featuring burrata and baos.<\/p>\n
What they didn\u2019t mention was something they have in common with a growing number of local restaurateurs: A business plan that incorporates significant financial support from the food-and-beverage arm of the Downtown Investment Authority\u2019s Retail Enhancement Program<\/a>, familiarly known as FAB-REP. Although the agency has courted culinary proposals in The Elbow and Hogan x Laura districts since 2020, the initiative didn\u2019t pick up serious steam until recently.<\/p>\n The $590,000 investment awarded to Vinyl Room, including a forgivable $200,000 loan, is one of 11 incentives distributed through the dedicated fund since the start of 2024. By contrast, four FAB-REP incentives were awarded in the previous three years. Downtown restaurants, including Keane\u2019s, have also qualified for grant money at an increased clip through the DIA\u2019s sidewalk enhancement program.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve really seen an uptick in the last two years,\u201d said DIA redevelopment manager Allan DeVault<\/a>, who attributes the culinary sector\u2019s mounting interest in civic backing to two factors.<\/p>\n First, DeVault believes more prospective restaurateurs finally see the potential that Downtown\u2019s champions have been talking up for decades.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a native, I\u2019ve heard it all my life,\u201d DeVault said. \u201cIn the \u201870s, my dad used to drive me through LaVilla and say, \u2018This is all going to be built up.\u2019 I joked it was the only time he ever lied to me. But now, with the rise and momentum and excitement, people are saying, \u2018This is really happening.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Second, while DeVault is anxious about coming off as \u201ca horn blower,\u201d he allows that his involvement with FAB-REP has made the program more palatable for bakers, brewers, baristas and other culinarians who may have chosen their careers in part to distance themselves from bureaucracy.<\/p>\n \u201cThey may bake the best croissant in the world, but filling out a pro forma can be a challenge,\u201d DeVault explains.<\/p>\n In his current role, which he assumed at the end of 2023, DeVault serves as a liaison to food entrepreneurs. They recognize him as a peer, since he got his professional start<\/a> in wine sales after graduating from the College of Charleston. After returning to Jacksonville from California, he partnered with Jonathan Insetta to open Black Sheep in 2012; the pair five years later launched bellwether, a buildout facilitated by a forgivable loan<\/a> from the DIA.<\/p>\n DeVault left the company in 2021, but bellwether lasted until this past March<\/a>, following several years of contending with the high food prices and low consumer confidence that are challenging restaurants everywhere.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery week, it\u2019s something new,\u201d Jacques Klempf, owner of Cowford Chophouse<\/a>, said of the industry\u2019s ongoing struggles. \u201cWhether it\u2019s a compressor that\u2019s down, or a cooler that\u2019s out. There are a lot of naysayers out there too.\u201d<\/p>\n Of those problems, the naysayers are the easiest for Klempf to deal with. Since purchasing the Bostwick Building in 2014, he\u2019s never regretted playing a part in Downtown\u2019s revitalization. His restaurant received a DIA grant prior to FAB-REP\u2019s debut, but he\u2019s since gotten to know DeVault.<\/p>\n \u201cAllen\u2019s a great guy; very helpful,\u201d Klempf said. \u201cHe understands all the ins-and-outs.\u201d<\/p>\n In practice, that means DeVault is constantly trying to shred red tape on behalf of applicants, including Pour Taproom, Dorothy\u2019s Downtown, Besa Bakery and Starbucks.<\/p>\n (DeVault knows that last name might not sit well with the indie business crowd, so repeats what he told the DIA board when he made a successful request for funding: \u201cThis is a guy from Orlando,\u201d he says of the franchisee. \u201cAnd, quite honestly, it\u2019s helping a landlord of a recently purchased office tower,\u201d adding that the building owner was required to create street access under the grant\u2019s terms.)<\/p>\n For example, DeVault is adept at translating for restaurateurs what\u2019s classified as a construction cost, meaning it\u2019s eligible for funding. \u201cI can help you with the banquette, but I can\u2019t help you with chairs,\u201d he said. \u201cI can\u2019t help with [point of sale] systems, but I can help with the oven.\u201d Additionally, he works on their time table.<\/p>\n \u201cIn (food and beverage), things need to happen very quickly,\u201d DeVault said. \u201cBy way of example, it used to be here that we\u2019d need everything 6-8 weeks before a board meeting. I just texted an operator to say, \u2018If I have everything three weeks before, I can put it together in a week.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n DeVault isn\u2019t aware of any other community redevelopment area, nor any cities beyond Florida, offering such extensive support for the establishment of bars and restaurants.<\/p>\n Those of us who cover and critique food and drink know governmental subsidies have long been high on restaurateurs\u2019 wish list. Having seen so many community-serving private enterprises go belly up, wine educator Zach Gebelle says he\u2019s fantasized about alternative funding strategies.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s time for those of us who believe hospitality venues serve a public good to realize smaller operators can\u2019t thrive if they must fully take on all the risks and costs of rent, labor and goods,\u201d Gebelle, co-host and producer of the VinePair podcast<\/a>, said. \u201cThe communities that understand this will end up with vastly more vital restaurant and bar communities than the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n Gebelle\u2019s based in Seattle, so he can\u2019t comment on the robustness of the dining scene coming together in Downtown Jacksonville.\u00a0<\/p>\n