Jupiter 'gem' Dune Dog Cafe set to open Carlin Park eatery in former Lazy Loggerhead space

JUPITER – A restaurant long familiar to northern Palm Beach County families is poised to take over the now-empty breakfast-and-lunch spot at Carlin Park in Jupiter.

The Dune Dog Cafe will open its fourth location at the site long occupied by Duke’s Lazy Loggerhead Cafe under a plan which Palm Beach County commissioners will consider Tuesday.

Lazy Loggerhead closed in August 2022 after 25 years of serving waffles, pancakes, burgers and BLTs to beachgoers at the Jupiter park. It was a favorite of those who lived between the Jupiter Inlet and the Juno Beach Pier.

The original Dune Dog opened in 1994 on Alternate A1A in Jupiter, and the restaurant now also has locations in Stuart and Cocoa Beach. It is known for its combo platters, fish sandwiches, seafood dinners and hot dogs. Its best-selling menu item is their $5.45 foot-long Junkyard Dog topped with chili, cheese, diced onions and tomato sauce.

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Restaurant spot to become 'beach shack' version of Dune Dog Cafe

The location in Carlin Park will be a brand-new concept for the eatery called “Dune Dog Beach Shack,” serving breakfast and lunch and closing at sunset.

The menu will feature breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, omelets, crawfish eggs benedict and a "smashburger," in addition to classic Dune Dog favorites.

Renovations are set to start in November with the hope of opening for business early next year around the time of Dune Dog’s 30th anniversary, says Greg Bartoli, the Dune Dog’s owner.

“Once we get the final commissioner vote, we will go full steam ahead with renovations,” said Bartoli, who has wanted to bring a new location to the empty restaurant space for a year now. “Dune Dog has been a staple of this community for 30 years. I think it’s going to be great to be right on the beach.”

The space will be renovated to match a Key West-style aesthetic. Bartoli hopes to add wood paneling to warm up the space as well as outdoor seating and an improved take-out window.

Bartoli said that the restaurant workers at Dune Dog are particularly loyal, with its staff members working there for an average of 15 years.

“We’ve had servers and other people working here for literally the past 20 years,” Bartoli said. “That’s why it’s become such a special place in the community.”

Five or six kitchen staff members will be hired to staff the new location, which Bartoli says has a “very, very small kitchen.”

Dune Dog beat out two competitors for Carlin Park space

The Dune Dog and two other restaurant companies applied for the space at Carlin Park in November 2022, and the county Parks and Recreation Department’s selection committee ranked its proposal the highest.

The two other applicants included SW Hospitality Group, which owns four restaurants in Palm Beach County and one in Vero Beach, and Belvedere Hospitality, which the committee deemed unresponsive since it first applied.

If the commissioners vote to approve he new Dune Dog location, the lease would last three years and is renewable. The monthly rent is $9,167 for the first year and annual 2% increases after that, according to the meeting’s agenda.

County Commissioner Maria Marino, who represents northern Palm Beach County, said the Dune Dog could be a “great new addition” to Carlin Park.

“Dune Dog is truly a gem in Palm Beach County,” Marino said. “Knowing our community as I do, I think it would be a great offering of food and a welcoming environment for everyone to enjoy in Carlin Park. I know the bid process has taken a bit of time, so I am looking forward to our board approving this lease on Tuesday.”

Maya Washburn covers northern Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida-Network. Reach her at mwashburn@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dune Dog to replace Lazy Loggerhead as Carlin Park restaurant in Jupiter