Urban Jacksonville

A problem such as speeding up service time has got to be one of the easiest fixes in the restaurant industry. Overall, I think handling Heartworks with a little more focus on simple restaurant skills would have extended it’s life.

For all of the years they were in and out of business, they really had the opportunity to make it a successful and profitable business. That’s the beauty of Jacksonville. Because of it’s total lack of culture, places like Heartworks are one of a kind… the only place to go, to get this.

So why not monopolize upon that while you have the chance? There IS NO competition and it’s always in demand!

I agree one hundred percent Brandon. At this point Jacksonville is RIPE for the taking!

These small businesses fail because they lack customer understanding. They try not to provide for the people of Jacksonville, but for themselves. This is why we see such a huge amount of small business turnover. Had they had a product customers wanted and knew how to deliver that product, there would be no problem.

Eating vegan isn’t a problem in Jax – almost every restaurant offers vegan options nowadays… It was nice to have an independent serving vegan wares, but it’s no secret that Heartworks was notorious for long waits/ cancelled menu items/ frequent closure/ etc.

HW never seemed to have a knack for keeping the customer satisfied.

Re: other vegan options in Jax – Moonriver, Burrito Gallery, Chew, Casbah, Cool Moose, San Marco Deli, Native Sun Deli, most any Sushi/ Thai place, etc, etc + it’s worth the drive to St. Augustine to eat raw at the Present Moment Cafe

Don’t they have a deli at Grassroots at 5 points?

There’s been a simmering desire amongst vegan-cook friends to take over (or set up competing shop with) the adorable but deeply underwhelming operation at Heartworks for months now…but like many things around here we’re all long on ideas but short on capital. And spare time.

In the meanwhile, Katie Savage makes a mean vegan pizza at moon river on request. I have to second the recommendation to Present Moment in St. Augustine. It’s great, at similar prices to Heartworks, and just, for lack of better words, really really good.

So um…who are these investors? Because there are some COMPETANT and interested young folks who could run a killer vegan restaurant ’round here…

I would eat the shit out of some good vegan food. Never really went to HW b.c of aforementioned problems.

Just sayin’!

you know i never had a problem with heartworks, always loved there food, and never had a wait, but i go at weird times. That place has special meaning for me. Me and the wife went on one of our first dates there, and a Cocteau Twins remix we had listened to the night before was playing. I actually liked the forever changing menu. Yes there are a lot of places that server vegan dishes but none that cater specifically to the Veg/vegan crowd. Makes me sad to see the 5 Points cornerstone alternative shops close up, einstein’s, earth gifts(moved), heartworks, now hear this(been gone a while but was the best record store hands down). Hopefully Fuel, Nicotines, Edge City and others can keep the light burning!

Who are these peope who want to enliven Jacksonville with a vegan restaurant? Are these pipe dreams or are they serious. Do they have model, menu ideas. I know lot’s of people who say they will do it, but I have yet to see any food ideas. I travel the country eating at vegan restaurant’s and know the chefs and owners. I have seen nothing of the sort in Jacksonville nor has any proposed to do it. Any thoughts? I would love to see this passion in local business.

UPDATE! MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED HEARTWORKS CAFE AND HAVE BEEN CLEANING UP ALL THE VIOLATIONS THAT EXISTED AND WILL BE OPENING ONCE THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH APPROVES OUR SETTING. FORMER OWNER LEFT QUITE A MESS. WE ARE CLEANING THAT MESS UP AND WHEN WE OPEN PLEASE COME VISIT AND ENJOY OUR CLEAN ENVIRONMENT WHICH WILL BE SERVING A VEGETARIAN CUISINE. HOPE TO SEE YOU. GEORGE

Congrats. Welcome to the natural foods community. Good Luck. Please keep us posted on your progress.
Aaron

In defense of the former owner of Heartworks the old and new food service regulations along with the State and IRS requirements take hours and hours and upfront cash just to keep the doors open. In many ways this can be compared to a musician who writes well, performs well, and is suddenly hit with the reality of dealing with all the financial and administrative tasks. This causes the musician to stop writing music and to instead fill out forms, many forms. It requires the phone calls to accountants, attorneys, the state regulators, and the federal internal revenue service (IRS). All of which place you on hold and want cash money just to fill out more forms.

This administrative edge of any business curtails much of the creative energy of most creative people. Goes with the territory and is quite a burden when on the other end, the customers have their expectations of simply wanting a dish of a specialty food item placed before them. And so they should. One fact that remains constant while the administrative requirements keep changing is being able to locate a public restaurant where eating a good healthy meal is possible, is difficult.

The new owners are in the administrative process now, we are also putting together a staff of food service professionals who have experience in the vegan / vegetarian menu and when the State regulators approve the restaurant to process and serve food the doors will open. Being this is an administrative process first and food service second we see an opening in January 2008. The opening hours will be for a lunch M-F, and a brunch S-S. The new staff will attempt to provide a good vegetarian menu and good service to all those who enter our door. Thank you for reading.