Kickbacks planning an expansion

[Tacachale]

It sounds like the issue is what Kickbacks can build on the site, not whether the building can be demolished. Is that correct?

I'm interested to hear what RAP says about it. They have a good track record of erring on the side of caution when businesses want to alter historic buildings, so I'll trust their judgment if they're on board with demolishing the duplex.

[John P]

Normally it would be hard for me to imagine that RAP would support the demolition of a 90 year old building in the historic district.  However, I just checked this one out on google maps.  Looks like it's been significantly altered over the years and has lost a lot of its character.  Not sure, but I think it may even have a little Southern Brick and Stone where part of the front porch was closed in!

Does anyone remember when these alterations occured?

[Kickbackssteve]

@ Tacachale, you are correct...the duplex is already considered to be "non-contributing" by RAP for reasons previously discussed and it can be torn down. At issue is what we can/should build on the site if we tear it down.  As mentioned earlier, we are in dialogue with RAP and the city to work through these issues.

[Captain Zissou]

Will there be cellar tours or special events?? It sounds amazing.  It will definitely have regional, if not national, notoriety.

[Tacachale]

Yeah, the plans do sound amazing. There's a flat out awesome belgian beer bar in Asheville; I'd love to see something like that in Jax. I hope a satisfactory deal is worked out with RAP and the city.

[Kickbackssteve]

@ Captain Zissou, I'd rather not yet discuss the specific plans, but I'm glad you are excited about it. I assure you that I'm extremely excited about the possibilities but I have to temper it for a little while. It really is amazing how many people have been coming in recently from out of town or out of state to visit us. Apparently there is some regional or national interest in what we are doing. It blows me away every day.

@ Tacachale, You are no doubt referring to the Thirsty Monk and I agree, its awesome. I just got back from a spectacular new Belgian bar/restaurant in Greenville that just opened beneath Barley's, owned by Barley's, called The Trappe Door that I'm sure you would love if you enjoy the Thisty Monk.

[MusicMan]

KickbacksSteve, Now all you need is your own brewery, then you won't have to import the product!!!!

[ricker]

another 150 - 200 seats AND an accessible basement!?
sounds like you'll also need a parking garage.

[north miami]

sounds like you'll also need a parking garage.

[JaxNative68]

Before KB expands, can I get lunch ordered and served in under 40 minutes in the currently sized establishment?  By the way, I love the beer selection during post work hours, and I love the atmosphere, but my office has put KB on the lunch ban list because the service is so slow.

[peestandingup]

Before KB expands, can I get lunch ordered and served in under 40 minutes in the currently sized establishment?  By the way, I love the beer selection during post work hours, and I love the atmosphere, but my office has put KB on the lunch ban list because the service is so slow.

True. I've actually only eaten there twice & both times it was incredibly slow. Like, to the point where we thought of just leaving.

And the one time it was super early in the morning when there was MAYBE 3 other customers in there. So I'm not sure I'm buying the whole "we just need more space & it'll all be better" argument.

[ricker]

I remain impressed with what they are able to do out of their current [tiny] kitchen!

The ONLY problem I see with the plan to build upon their undeniable success is that the new space will further highlight the less than perfect condition of 918 King St.

I liked the idea of removing the median island between Post and College in favor of angled nose-in parking on BOTH sides of the Street.

I also wished KB had considered the air rights to both the gas station and the L-shaped building which houses CM Love's statefarm office with Kingpin e cigarettes.

[Tacachale]

Before KB expands, can I get lunch ordered and served in under 40 minutes in the currently sized establishment?  By the way, I love the beer selection during post work hours, and I love the atmosphere, but my office has put KB on the lunch ban list because the service is so slow.

True. I've actually only eaten there twice & both times it was incredibly slow. Like, to the point where we thought of just leaving.

And the one time it was super early in the morning when there was MAYBE 3 other customers in there. So I'm not sure I'm buying the whole "we just need more space & it'll all be better" argument.

Steve has commented on the issue in this and other threads:

I don't really want to say too much about the specifics of the project because it is very much in the beginning stages and much is still to be determined.  I would like to, however, speak to the motivation for doing the project. 

Ever since I took over the management/ownership of the restaurant 3.5 years ago (along with my friend and minority partner, Ed Salem) it has been my goal to "suck a little less" everyday.  After over 1000 days of working hard to make Kickbacks Gastropub a better place, we have become very much victims of our own success.  It pains me to no end for people to come to Kickbacks and leave unhappy.  It doesn't happen often anymore, but when it does, it's usually for the same reason...the food takes too long to get to the table! 

I'm not one to make excuses and I can no longer watch my customers and staff suffer thru long ticket times.  The kitchen space in our location has been large enough and efficient enough to service different restaurants for many decades and many generations.  It just isn't the case any longer for us, and as I've said, we are victims of our own success.  The growth of our customer base has outpaced the growth of our infrastructure.  Our menu is quite tricky to execute at times and there is room on the line for only 4 cooks at one time.  My back of the house staff is amazing at what they do, but when we have 180 people seated and the phone is ringing off the hook, ticket times get outrageous.  It's NOT acceptable and I'm NOT ok with it.  Our customers are amazing and normally very understanding about the situation, and we are so thankful to them, but it's unfair to ask them to endure suffering any longer.  I used to pacify people by reminding them that at least they didn't have to wait an hour to be seated, but now we are on a wait to be seated most friday and saturday evenings.

My staff needs to be put in a position to succeed and I'm the one that needs to put them in that position.  We need to expand the size of our kitchen 2 to 3 fold.  But I suppose as long as we are expanding the kitchen, we might as well give people more places to sit and a nice outdoor patio.  And, as long as we are going through that trouble and expense, we might as well provide more food and more drinks and more fun.  Does Goozlepipe and Guttyworks sound like it would be a fun place for the family to go hang out, eat and drink?  Sounds pretty good to me...  :-)

The purchase of the duplex next door and the building we currently occupy is very important to us and our continued existence. Older generations refer to our building as the Giuseppe's Pizza building. More recent generations refer to it as Ezele's BBQ building. It is our hope that future generations will refer to it as the Kickbacks Gastropub building.

To accomplish this, we must grow.  As I've said before, we have become victims of our own success.  I can't watch our customers suffer any more and I can't stand to see new customers every day think we're incompetent because we don't have the infrastructure to do what we do the right way.  I think we can be better, way better, and I think in this unique set of circumstances, getting better means getting bigger.  We have the best customers and employees in the city and they deserve more.

That's some of the most refreshing reasoning I've ever heard from a business owner.

[Lucasjj]

RAP is picking up their efforts on squashing this expansion. I just received my RAP newsletter and they are providing a petition against Kickback's expansion. As well as links to more information regarding the expansion.

This is a pivotal time for our neighborhood! Take a moment to learn more about the project and let your voice be heard. Sign our petition today to let the people on LUZ know that you want Kickbacks to grow responsibly and join the conversation on our Facebook page to share your thoughts.

Here is a link to the petition.
www.change.org/petitions/luz-encourage-responsible-growth-in-the-riverside-avondale-historic-district

Full discolure I am in support of Kickback's expansion.

[fsujax]

Expand to Springfield! plenty of space and parking along Main St!