Fast-casual, Asian restaurant debuts in Northeast Florida in St. Johns; more on the way

Teresa Stepzinski, Florida Times-Union
Updated ·3 min read
Teriyaki Madness, a Denver-based fast-casual Asian restaurant, plans to open its first Northeast Florida restaurant July 14 at 140 Little Cyprus Road, Suite 106 in Saint Johns in northern St. Johns County.
Teriyaki Madness, a Denver-based fast-casual Asian restaurant, plans to open its first Northeast Florida restaurant July 14 at 140 Little Cyprus Road, Suite 106 in Saint Johns in northern St. Johns County.

A Denver-based, fast-casual Asian-themed restaurant concept is preparing to debut its first Northeast Florida restaurant in northern St. Johns County and it's planning several more in the region.

Teriyaki Madness plans to open Tuesday, July 25, at 140 Little Cyprus Drive, Suite 106, in Grand Cypress Marketplace shopping center near U.S. 1 and Race Track Road in Saint Johns.

The restaurant focuses on freshly made-to-order bowls featuring teriyaki chicken, steak, salmon and tofu. Stir-fried veggies, Japanese-style yakisoba noodles, brown and white rice and appetizers such as chicken eggrolls, potstickers, crab rangoon and edamame also top the menu.

Teriyaki Madness also features seven house-made sauces which also are available bottled for sale: Teriyaki, Spicy, Stir-fry, Gyoza, Thick Teriyaki, Sweet & Sour and Katsu.

"Our two most popular bowls are the Teriyaki Chicken, which is fresh chicken marinated in our signature Teriyaki Sauce, then grilled and topped on your choice of white rice, brown rice, fried rice or Yakisoba noodles. And, our other most popular and very addictive bowl is the Spicy Chicken Teriyaki. It’s more flavor than fire, and very crave-able," Jodi Boyce, chief marketing officer, told the Times-Union in an email.

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Boyce said their target audience is split evenly between men and women.

"And although we serve many outside this age range, we usually target adults 25 to 54 years old as our sweet spot. Because our food is on the healthier side and it travels very well, we attract active people on the go," she said.

The Saint Johns location is the first of three planned by franchise co-owners Robert Garnecki and David Patrick, both of Ponte Vedra Beach.

Garnecki, 53, is a retired New Jersey police officer who was among the first responders during Sept. 11, 2021, terrorist attacks. Patrick, 63, is a commercial airline pilot, and military veteran whose prior entrepreneurial experience included owning two Jimmy Johns sandwich shop franchises.

Boyce said that "likely Dave and Rob's other two licenses will be in the Jacksonville area."

Northeast Florida expansion

Teriyaki Madness, which has about 130 locations throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico, is among the fastest-growing big restaurant chains in the nation, industry publications report.

In 2021, Teriyaki Madness was rated the No. 1 fastest-growing big chain restaurant — based on its 2020 performance — Restaurant Business reported. This year, Teriyaki Madness was among America's Favorite Restaurant Chains reported by Newsweek.

The chain, founded in 2003, expects to have a total of about 150 locations by the end of the third quarter this year.

“We already have leases signed and construction started to have our best growth year ever,” CEO Michael Haith, said in a May 1 news release.

Northeast Florida is a desirable area for Teriyaki Madness to expand its footprint, Boyce said.

Teriyaki Madness, a Denver-based fast-casual Asian restaurant, plans to open its first Northeast Florida restaurant July 14 at 140 Little Cyprus Road, Suite 106 in Saint Johns in northern St. Johns County.
Teriyaki Madness, a Denver-based fast-casual Asian restaurant, plans to open its first Northeast Florida restaurant July 14 at 140 Little Cyprus Road, Suite 106 in Saint Johns in northern St. Johns County.

"Jacksonville proper and the Beaches could certainly support more shops and are trade areas that are on our radar,"Boyce said. "The particular vacancies available when we're ready for site selection will drive which trade areas we land in."

The Saint Johns location will be among a dozen open or coming soon Teriyaki Madness locations in Florida.

Grand Cypress Marketplace, the former bestbet facility, is anchored by Winn-Dixie, which opened late last year. The shopping center is amid the 103-acre Grand Cypress mixed-use development from Gatlin Development Company of Jacksonville.

Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on Twitter @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at tstepzinski@jacksonville.com.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Teriyaki Madness opens first Northeast Florida restaurant in St. Johns