Sandwiches with bite: Lone Wolf Co. coming to Jacksonville Beach this fall
Brett Forgich fell into hospitality more than two decades ago as a hopeful teen who just wanted to make enough money to buy a car. He started as a breakfast and lunch server in a Virginia Beach restaurant, where he worked weekends all summer long, quickly falling in love with the fast-paced industry.
Now in Northeast Florida, Forgich is achieving a long-standing goal: opening his own restaurant. The offspring of his passion for food and hospitality is Lone Wolf Co., slated to open in Jacksonville Beach this fall. The 1,400-square-foot specialty sandwich shop at 1500 Beach Blvd. will accommodate 50 diners for lunch six days a week.
For the past four years, Forgich has been the general manager at True Food Kitchen at St. Johns Town Center. Previously, he was beverage director for locals Black Sheep and Bellwether and spent the prior eight years managing and opening several local Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers locations. Through this experience, he’s been able to “get a really good feel for the Jacksonville food scene.”
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“After facing the adversity and struggles of operating a restaurant during the pandemic, I realized it’s time for me,” he said. “I’ve been putting a lot of hours in for someone else to enjoy the benefits, so I asked, ‘why not do it for myself now?’ My menu, location and experience will bring new, exciting food to the Jacksonville community.”
Lone Wolf will feature an array of specialty sandwiches. While he says that Jacksonville has some great deli-style sandwich shops — his favorite is Sun Deli — he feels the community lacks what he calls “unconventional, funky sandwiches.”
To wit, a few prospective menu items:
• Porchetta, collard greens, fried green tomatoes, hot apple jam.
• Flamin’ hot Cheeto crusted fried chicken, slaw, house pickles, queso, wolf sauce.
• Korean short rib, pickled vegetables, fresh herbs, gochuchang aioli.
• Traditional smash burger, house pickles, onions, wolf sauce.
Lone Wolf will source its bread from a local baker, and its menu will rotate with several daily features.
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“This will be a new concept with a menu unlike anything people have seen in the area,” Forgich said. “There is nothing like the concept locally, and with so many hospitality workers in the area nearby that need a big meal before or after their shift, along with several neighborhoods that are tired of having to settle for chains nearby, I want to shake up the sandwich scene and it’s all very exciting.”
Forgich signed a five-year lease on the space, with a five-year option. He is the sole owner and operator. Lone Wolf will be designed by local Jacksonville beach architecture firm Doherty Sommers Architects Engineers Inc. The restaurant will be in the Gates of Beach Boulevard Shopping Center on Beach Boulevard, just west of Penman Road, between Engine 15 Brewing and Mojo KItchen.
As for the future, Forgich is bullish on carving a new niche in the local dining scene.
“I’m eager to bring something new to Jax Beach and empower my future team with the ability to add to our growing menu, and possible future locations throughout Jacksonville,” he said.
Caron Streibich is an avid food-lover who reviews restaurants in the Life section. Follow her dining adventures at facebook.com/caroneats and #caroneats on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Lone Wolf Co. sandwich shop plans fall opening in Jacksonville Beach
