Southern Grounds & Co. selects Charlotte for first expansion outside of Jacksonville
- Jun 11
- 2 min read
by Jacksonville Business Journal
Southern Grounds & Co. is one of five restaurant concepts under the founder's hospitality group, which has two additional Jacksonville-area locations in the works alongside the Charlotte expansion.
Founder Mark Janasik opened the first Southern Grounds & Co. in February
2016 in the Courtyard Building at 200 First St. in Neptune Beach. Ten years later,
the local coffee shop and bakery cafe is making a move to expand further into
the Southeast.
After 18 months of research and exploration across the South, the team has
selected Charlotte, North Carolina, as its newest destination for expansion.
Similar to Jacksonville, Southern Grounds found a “fast-growing, slightly restless
place that still believes in gathering over something as simple and honest as a
good cup of coffee” in Charlotte.
“Not precious, not overworked; just intentional. The kind of city where
community still matters, where regulars become family and where a café
can mean more than caffeine; it can mean connection,” Janasik wrote on
social media.
North Carolina’s largest city also offers regional adjacency, brand familiarity
and operational efficiency, Janasik told the Business Journal. Charlotte also
offers a connection to local food producers, an element critical to the Southern
Grounds mission.
“Southern Grounds’ broader growth strategy is concentrated in the Southeast,
which makes Charlotte a logical node for multi-unit development and easier
management of supply, staffing and field support,” Janasik said. “In addition, the
Carolinas have a robust local farmer network with sustainable produce, meats
that we utilize for creating our sustainable food program.”
The coffee shop features Intelligentsia Coffee, the store’s exclusive roasted bean
supplier, in connection with Blueberry Bakery, which is also owned by Janasik.
Blueberry Bakeries typically operate out of Southern Grounds locations to deliver
handmade breakfast plates, baked goods, burgers, bowls, salads and sandwiches
composed primarily of locally grown ingredients.
Southern Grounds and Blueberry Bakery are two of five concepts in Janasik’s
Restaurant & Hospitality Investment Group. RHIG also includes the Oaxaca Club
elevated Mexican dining in Jacksonville Beach and Alder & Oak elevated
Mediterranean eats at The Hub Brooklyn. On the horizon for the restaurant group
are a second Alder & Oak in the former Jekyll Brewing space at 131 First Ave. N. in
the Jacksonville Beach Town Center and the heretofore unreleased Rosetta Room
featuring a “modern interpretation of rustic coastal Italian dishes,” according to
the RHIG website.
Janasik has yet to sign a lease for Southern Grounds Charlotte, but has signed
two letters of intent to develop in the Dilworth and Midwood neighborhoods.
When complete, the new stores will mark the 10th and 11th overall Southern
Grounds locations.
What Charlotte citizens can expect is an eatery that will reflect the city’s moxie.
“Charlotte, for all its polish, still has a little grit under its fingernails and
that’s where a place like Southern Grounds belongs; absolutely love this city,”
Janasik said.
