Open less than a year, Jacksonville gastropub is closing — again

Open almost a year, World of Beer & Kitchen is closing in Jacksonville.

In a social media post on Monday, the restaurant located at 5106 J. Turner Butler Blvd. announced its closure.

“We have made the difficult decision to close WOB Jacksonville Southpoint. We have so much love for the Jacksonville community - we want to thank our regulars, loyalty members, and our team members who made this location so special,” the post read.

More closings this year: In 2023, some longtime favorite Jacksonville restaurants have closed. Here's a list.

From May 2022: World of Beer & Kitchen gastropub returns to Jacksonville after a 6-year absence

Background: World of Beer founders built an empire and came back home to Pensacola

"While this franchise location has experienced great success since its opening, the franchise ownership has experienced organizational challenges that were insurmountable for continued operations," Jacksonville franchisee Seth Githens said in an emailed statement that also thanked the restaurant's guests and employees. "The Jacksonville and surrounding areas are important markets for the WOB Bar & Kitchen brand, and we look forward to continuing operations at some point in the future."

When it opened on May 24, 2022, the restaurant — featuring more than 300 beers and 40 rotating taps as well as Topgolf Swing Suites — was the first of two planned in the Jacksonville area, then-franchisee Jason Frimmel told the Times-Union. Frimmel said he has not been associated with that World of Beer location for several months. A second location, featuring a rooftop patio, was planned for 1198 Beach Blvd. in Jacksonville Beach, in a retail center home to Mayday Ice Cream and Bento. That restaurant never opened.

At the time, the opening marked the return of World of Beer to Jacksonville after two other locations opened and closed in the mid-2010s. In July 2013, World of Beer debuted in Jacksonville at 9700 Deer Lake Court in the Tinseltown area. Three years later, in August 2016, the restaurant closed. The other, at 311 3rd St. N. in Jacksonville Beach, opened in January 2015 but closed just 10 months later. 

Founded in 2007, the Tampa-headquartered World of Beer bills itself as "the original craft beer bar." It has 46 locations in the United States, including 19 in Florida. With the closing of the Jacksonville location, the closest WOB locations are two in the Gainesville area.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: World of Beer & Kitchen closes Southpoint restaurant in Jacksonville