Jacksonville

Jacksonville Food Truck Opening a Restaurant

Hard Pressed Burgers will open their permanent location in March.

Image from Hard Pressed Burgers on Facebook

JACKSONVILLE, FL — Hard Pressed Burgers is preparing to open its first brick-and-mortar location at 1636 Hendricks Ave, Jacksonville, FL 32207. Co-owner Justin Paala told Business Debut the team does not have a set opening date yet but is targeting March, as build-out work continues.

Paala and co-owner Edward Evans launched Hard Pressed Burgers as a pop-up concept in late 2022, then expanded to two food trucks. The upcoming restaurant will be the brand’s first permanent home.

What to Expect

The Hendricks Avenue location is planned as a fast-casual neighborhood burger joint with indoor seating. Paala told Business Debut the team recently added bar-top and bar-window seating, with beer and wine service.

“It should be a cool neighborhood spot for everybody,” Paala told Business Debut.

The food trucks will keep their core menu focused on burgers and fries, with occasional specials. The brick-and-mortar menu will include the brand’s signature smash burgers, plus potential for new creative new varieties and dishes. “Being chefs is like a playground for us,” he told Business Debut. Paala said the team’s approach is to keep burgers simple while making key components in-house.

“We create our own burger blend, we grind it fresh for every event that we do,” he told Business Debut. He added that the restaurant will keep toppings limited, with an emphasis on house-made items designed to let the meat stand out.

Opening Timeline

The restaurant is still in progress, including kitchen changes, cleaning, and finishing work such as tile and paint. Paala told Business Debut the team is aiming for a mid-to-late March opening, with the date to be announced.

Hours

Planned hours are Tuesday through Sunday.
Tuesday–Thursday: 11 a.m.–9 p.m.
Friday–Saturday: 11 a.m.–10 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m.–5 p.m. (subject to change)