Hungry for a healthy meal but in a hurry? Flame Broiler has a new option in Jacksonville

A California-based restaurant known for its Korean-inspired rice bowls and plates just made healthy eating when you're in a hurry a lot easier.

Flame Broiler recently debuted its first stand-alone, double drive-thru-only restaurant in Jacksonville.

The restaurant at 6682 103rd St. on the Westside has no indoor seating. It is the fifth Flame Broiler in Jacksonville from local franchise owner Jackie Grzebin.

"I'm extremely excited for this store as it is a new prototype for Flame Broiler and the first double drive-thru. We started this project over three years ago and it has finally come to fruition, opening last Sunday, April 7," Grzebin told the Times-Union via email.

At 650 square feet, the restaurant was built on the site formerly used by Ying's Takee Outee Chinese restaurant, which was demolished in May 2022, city records show.

Flame Broiler will host a grand opening celebration beginning at 4 p.m. Friday that will feature a variety of promotions for customers throughout the weekend.

“The Jacksonville community has been overwhelmingly supportive and welcoming since day one. Also, some of our employees have been with us for 12 years and we’re beyond thrilled to achieve another milestone together," Grzebin said.

She chose the 103rd Street location "to bridge the gap between her other four restaurants and provide a destination" for people who are too far from those sites," according to a news release announcing the grand opening.

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Other Flame Broiler restaurants in Jacksonville include 7159 Philips Highway Suite 4, 1539 San Marco Blvd., 9822 Tapestry Park Circle, Suite 103, and 9711 Applecross Road, Unit 4.

“It’s been one of our aspirations to introduce our very first double drive-thru location,” Young Lee, founder and CEO of Flame Broiler, said in the news release. “Knowing the importance of healthy eating habits, we continue to work towards fulfilling our promise of bringing nutritious bowls to people at a convenience.”

Flame Broiler, headquartered in Santa Ana, Calif., is known for its core menu offering rice bowls that the restaurant group says start at only 140 calories.

The bowls and plates are made with non-GMO white or brown rice. Customers can choose from proteins such as charbroiled Angus beef, No-Antibiotics Ever (NAE) charbroiled chicken or organic charbroiled tofu and freshly blanched vegetables, according to the menu.

No dairy products or fryers are used in the restaurants.

Flame Broiler also offers a selection of proprietary Hot Sauce, Jalapeno Hot Sauce, Seoul Scorcher or Simply Magic Sauce.

The 103rd Street restaurant's hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at [email protected].

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Flame Broiler opens first double drive-thru restaurant in Jacksonville