Opening date, ownership shake-up for Hobnob at 220 Riverside

[joshuataylor]

From The Jacksonville Business Journal:

After a series of delays, 220 Riverside upscale restaurant Hobnob will be opening on March 21. Only half of the original partnership, however, will be involved.

Alan and Ellen Cottrill will be moving forward with Hobnob on their own, with Jennifer and Liz Earnest, who run Candy Apple, opting to bow out to focus on the Downtown restaurant, as well as their catering company, The Chef's Garden. Spokeswoman Natalie Wearstler DeYoung called the decision amicable.

The Cottrills and the Earnests first announced plans for Hobnob last summer, planning to open in the fall. The opening date was then pushed back to early 2016.

The restaurant plans to have a heavy focus on global cuisine, with weekly champagne toasts and a menu that has some seasonal changes.

Hobnob will join Top Chef restaurateur Kevin Sbraga's Sbraga & Company, which opened its 220 Riverside location on Nov. 14. Brixx Wood Fired Pizza, a Charlotte-based upscale restaurant with pizza, salad and pasta options, is also in the works, planning to open this summer.