Keke’s Breakfast Cafe opens fifth Jacksonville location at River City Marketplace

Keke’s Breakfast Cafe is opening a new restaurant at River City Marketplace in Jacksonville on Oct. 22, giving the brand its fifth cafe in the city. The grand opening includes free pancakes, hourly giveaways and a ribbon cutting as the chain expands its Northeast Florida footprint.

Why it matters: - The new River City Marketplace cafe gives Jacksonville diners another breakfast-and-brunch option and pushes Keke’s Breakfast Cafe to five locations in the city. - The opening adds to Keke’s Florida footprint in a busy shopping and dining district with onsite parking and accessible entrances.

What happened: - Keke’s Breakfast Cafe is opening a new Jacksonville location at 840 Nautica Drive, Suite 115, in River City Marketplace. - The grand opening is set for Thursday, Oct. 22, starting at 7 a.m. - Guests will get a free short stack of pancakes from open to close, with no purchase necessary, while supplies last. - The cafe will also host an in-store hourly raffle for a chance to win free pancakes for a month. - A ribbon cutting with the Jax Chamber of Commerce is scheduled for 9 a.m.

The details: - The new cafe spans 3,500 square feet. - The menu will include pancakes, waffles, omelets and other breakfast favorites. - The space features Keke’s fresh, modern design. - The location will serve dine-in breakfast and brunch daily from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. after the opening. - Entries for the raffle must be completed onsite, and winners must be present when their names are drawn. - More information is available at Keke’s website.

Between the lines: - The River City Marketplace site gives Keke’s visibility inside a well-trafficked retail and dining hub. - Co-owner Vic Cuda framed the opening as a community gathering spot, signaling that Keke’s is leaning on neighborhood traffic as it grows in Jacksonville. - The franchise pair behind the cafe, Vic Cuda and John Metz, have worked together since 2002 and bring a large restaurant portfolio to the opening. - Their combined holdings include 63 Denny’s restaurants and five Keke’s Breakfast Cafe locations.

What's next: - Keke’s will begin regular daily service after the grand opening. - The company says additional locations are slated in multiple U.S. states in the near future. - Keke’s currently operates in Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Tennessee, Texas, Colorado and California.

The bottom line: - Keke’s is using a high-traffic Jacksonville opening to deepen its local presence while continuing a broader multi-state expansion.