Buying a restaurant in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida

Jacksonville and Northeast Florida has 177 established restaurants by our count: companies in business at least 15 years that still file with the state every year and aren't part of a larger group. Of those, 51% have been in business 20 years or more. Most will never be listed for sale, and many of their owners have never been asked.

177

established companies

51%

built over 20+ years

$262k+

a year, earned by the top quarter

14%

built over 30+ years

What it takes to own one

Restaurants in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida come in every size. Here's what owning one could look like at three levels, from a solid company to one of the leaders, with a small business loan covering most of the price.

A solid company

Earns about: $117,000 a year
Price about: $258,000
Your cash: $36,000
Could pay you: up to $71,000 a year

A strong company

Top quarter in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida

Earns about: $262,000 a year
Price about: $576,000
Your cash: $81,000
Could pay you: up to $158,000 a year

One of the leaders

Top tenth in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida

Earns about: $643,000 a year
Price about: $1.4 million
Your cash: $198,000
Could pay you: up to $388,000 a year

Earnings are owner earnings: profit plus what the owner pays themselves, before loan payments and taxes. They and the prices are our estimates from public records, not the owners' figures, and we value companies like these at about 2.2 times a year's owner earnings. Your cash covers the down payment and closing costs, and what the business could pay you is what's left after the loan payments and the cushion lenders require. The more cash you bring, the further up you can go.

Age, size and location

Revenue is our estimate from public records, grouped into wide ranges.

In business	Companies
Under 20 years	87
20 to 29 years	65
30 to 39 years	22
40 years or more	3

Estimated yearly revenue	Companies
Under $1M	55
$1M to $2M	28
$2M to $4M	16
$4M to $8M	9
Over $8M	6

County	Companies
Duval	117
St. Johns	35
Clay	13
Nassau	10
Other counties	2

Town	Companies
Jacksonville	98
St. Augustine	11
Jacksonville Beach	10
St Augustine	10
Atlantic Beach	7
Orange Park	7
Fernandina Beach	5
Ponte Vedra Beach	5

What the best restaurants have in common

Sales that hold up through the year, or a slow season the owner plans for if the place leans on tourists and winter residents.
Food and labor costs tracked weekly, not just totaled on the year-end tax return.
A kitchen that runs without the owner: a chef or kitchen manager who intends to stay, and recipes written down.
A lease with years left and renewal options, rent that leaves room for profit, and a landlord willing to assign it to you.
A clean inspection history with the state.
Regulars and local word of mouth, rather than heavy dependence on delivery apps.
Equipment that has been maintained: hood and fire suppression, walk-in cooler, ice and dish machines.
The right alcohol license for the concept, in good standing.

What to check before you buy

Reported sales. Match point-of-sale reports to the sales tax returns, month by month. Sales the owner says never reached the books won't count for a lender, and shouldn't for you.
The seller's taxes. Buying more than half of a business or its assets can make you liable for the seller's unpaid state taxes, up to the price or the value, whichever is greater (section 213.758). Get a certificate of compliance from the Department of Revenue before closing.
Labor at today's rates. Under a 2020 constitutional amendment, Florida's minimum wage reached $15 an hour on September 30, 2026, and it will rise with inflation after that. The tipped wage moves with it. Rebuild payroll at current rates, not last year's totals.
Equipment. Have a restaurant equipment technician look at the hood, refrigeration and air conditioning. Replacements are expensive.
Inspection history. Read several years of DBPR's online inspection results.
The lease. Remaining term, whether it can be assigned to you, personal guarantees, and who pays for the roof, grease trap and hood repairs.
Storms. How long the place closed after recent hurricanes, and what business interruption insurance paid.

Questions to ask the owner

What does a slow Tuesday look like next to a busy Saturday, and how has that changed in the last couple of years?
Who runs the kitchen when you're not there, and do you think they'd stay on with a new owner?
How much of your business comes from regulars, catering or delivery apps?
How long is left on the lease, and how do you think the landlord will feel about a sale?
When did you last replace big equipment like the hood, the walk-in or the dish machine, and what's due next?
Do you track food and labor costs each week? Could I see a few months of those reports?
If you were staying, what would you change about the menu or the hours?

To learn what these companies do, which licenses they need and how ownership works, read our full guide to buying a restaurant in Florida.

Owning a company in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida

The local economy

This region covers Duval, St. Johns, Clay, Nassau, Baker and Putnam counties: Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra Beach, Orange Park, Fleming Island, Green Cove Springs, Fernandina Beach, Yulee, Macclenny and Palatka. Jacksonville merged with most of Duval County in 1968, which makes it the largest city by land area in the lower 48 states.

The economy leans on logistics, the Navy and financial services. Logistics runs through JAXPORT, major rail lines and the meeting of Interstates 95 and 10. The Navy has Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport. Insurance and health care matter too. St. Augustine, founded by the Spanish in 1565, and Amelia Island draw steady tourism. Trucking and logistics firms, the building trades, medical practices and home services all fit this market.

What's different about owning a company here

Northeast Florida is less seasonal than South or Southwest Florida, with fewer winter residents and more year-round employers. Direct hurricane landfalls have been less common here than on other parts of the coast, but storms still bring flooding along the St. Johns River and the beaches, so check insurance costs and flood zones.

Military families bring skilled workers and working spouses into the labor pool, though they also move on when orders change. St. Johns, Clay and Nassau have added the most new homes, and companies serving those suburbs have grown with them. Georgia is close, and some companies here serve customers across the state line. Work in Georgia may need Georgia licenses, so ask how much revenue comes from there and who holds those licenses.