The Raising Cane's coming to Mandarin Corners is going up where a Pollo Tropical closed. The Texas Roadhouse planned for San Jose Boulevard at Kori Road sits on the lot of a Fifth Third Bank that has been torn down. Dairy Queen is converting a Burger King on Old St. Augustine Road that was built in 1990. Burlington is preparing a vacant end unit at Riverplace Shopping Center.
Mandarin's commercial strip is changing fast this fall, but it isn't getting any bigger. Nearly every new name is moving into a building, pad or storefront that was already there. That's good news for anyone tracking the changes, because reuse projects leave a public paper trail. Each permit marks a step, and the steps run in a predictable order.
Every new name, and the old address it's taking over
Here's the current lineup from I-295 south along San Jose and Old St. Augustine, with the most recent public step for each project. Issued permits carry the city's issue date, and projects still in review carry the date of the latest Jax Daily Record report.
| Business | Address | What was there before | Latest reported step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raising Cane's | 10989 San Jose Blvd., Mandarin Corners | Closed Pollo Tropical | Building permits issued May 29, 2026 |
| Dairy Queen Grill & Chill | 11031 Old St. Augustine Rd. | Closed Burger King, built 1990 | Interior demolition permit issued Aug. 20, 2026 |
| Texas Roadhouse | 9716 San Jose Blvd. | Demolished Fifth Third Bank | Site plan in city review, Aug. 17, 2026 |
| Burlington | 11111 San Jose Blvd., No. 1, Riverplace | Vacant end unit | Interior demolition and canopy permit issued Oct. 12, 2026 |
| Milano Bakery Cafe | 11361 San Jose Blvd., No. 19 | Existing suite | Tenant build-out permit issued July 28, 2026 |
| Sparkle dog grooming | 10991 San Jose Blvd., No. 56, Mandarin Corners | Existing suite | Tenant build-out permit issued June 2, 2026 |
| 7 Brew | 11647 San Jose Blvd. | About a half-acre site | Permits in city review, May 26, 2026 |
The Jax Daily Record reported that the Raising Cane's plans call for a 2,770-square-foot building with dual drive-thru lanes, a pickup window and 77 seats indoors and out. It would be the chain's fourth identified site in Jacksonville. At that point, the city was still reviewing the permit to demolish the old Pollo Tropical.
The Texas Roadhouse would be the chain's fifth restaurant in the Jacksonville area. According to the Daily Record's August report, the company said the Mandarin site "fills a gap with our existing Texas Roadhouse locations." It is next to The Home Depot, where Old St. Augustine Road meets San Jose. The bank's demolition permit was issued in October 2025, and in August the company said it had no construction timeline to share.
How to read the permit trail
Each project is at a different step in the same sequence, and the Dairy Queen conversion shows that sequence most clearly so far.
- Utility check. JEA issued a service availability letter for the former Burger King on June 11. The Daily Record describes this step as a sign that a project is being explored.
- Site work. The city issued a $10,000 site-work permit on June 26 that covered tree replacement.
- Interior demolition. A $97,500 interior demolition permit followed on Aug. 20, and the Daily Record reported that conversion work could begin.
- Build-out and opening. In June, the franchisee said that depending on permits, construction could start in time for an October opening. No opening date has been announced yet.
Now line up the other projects against those steps. Texas Roadhouse is still at the site plan stage. 7 Brew was also in permit review as of late May. Its plans call for a 540-square-foot drive-thru coffee kiosk, and the Daily Record put the project at about $1 million. Raising Cane's is further along, with building permits issued. Milano Bakery Cafe and Sparkle have both reached tenant build-out inside existing suites. That's typically the shortest path, because the building, parking and utilities are already there.
The Daily Record headline places Milano's $89,000, 1,850-square-foot build-out at the Gates of Old Mandarin. Sparkle's permit covers 1,368 square feet in Mandarin Corners, the Walmart-anchored center where Raising Cane's is also going in.
In June, the Daily Record reported that the retailer appeared to be the prospective tenant for 27,744 square feet at Riverplace, as part of its move toward smaller stores. A Burlington representative told the paper there was no grand opening date yet and that more information would likely come "closer to 2027." The permit issued Oct. 12 covers $350,000 in interior demolition and facade canopy replacement, which is preparation work, not a ribbon cutting.
If you shop at the larger Burlington in Old St. Augustine Plaza, that store isn't going anywhere. The company told the Daily Record it has no current plans to close the 58,124-square-foot location, and the two stores are about 3.2 miles apart.
What you can visit now
The reuse pattern holds for the newcomers that are already open, too.
Fatboy Friedrice opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant at Mission Square Center, 9735 Old St. Augustine Rd. The Florida Times-Union's first look puts the soft opening on July 1. The popular food truck's signature fried rice bowls include cheeseburger, bulgogi and sisig versions. Of everything on this list, it's the only local operator moving up from a truck into a storefront.
H&H Bagels at Crown Point Plaza, 10025 San Jose Blvd., serves New York-style bagels, spreads and made-to-order sandwiches. Landlord Sleiman announced it was now open on March 3, 2026.
Five Below was set to open Sept. 18 at Claire Lane Shopping Center, 11112-12 San Jose Blvd., according to Sleiman's announcement the day before.
Turnover goes both ways
Every space that gets filled was empty at some point, and this month another one opened up. The Times-Union reported that K-Bop Korean Kitchen, known for its fried chicken, corn dogs and rice bowls, closed its location at 11700 San Jose Blvd. in the Mandarin South shopping center effective Monday, Oct. 5, after two years.
Nobody has announced a new tenant for that space yet. Based on everything else in this rundown, the next sign of one will probably show up as a build-out permit before any sign goes up.
Mandarin addresses that stay the same
While San Jose Boulevard cycles through tenants, the oldest buildings in Mandarin keep a steady schedule. Here's what's on the calendar from Saturday, Oct. 24, through the first Saturday in November.
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mandarin Markets' Harvest Market at Trinity Mandarin, 2955 Orange Picker Rd. Entry is free, with more than 160 local vendors, a farmers market section, a food truck alley, kids' activities and a live DJ.
- Saturday, Oct. 31, 10 a.m. A Mandarin Museum walking tour of Historic Mandarin Cemetery, meeting at the cemetery at 12135 Mandarin Rd. Details are on the museum's events page.
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The museum's regular first-Saturday opening. You can tour the 1875 Webb-Jones Farmhouse, the 1876 Barn, the 1898 St. Joseph's Mission Schoolhouse for African American Children and the 1892 Losco Winery Log Cabin in Walter Jones Historical Park. The Historic Mandarin Store & Post Office at 12471 Mandarin Rd. is open the same hours.
Museum schedules can change because of weather, so check the events page before you head out. The museum's Music Under the Oaks concert was already rescheduled once this fall because of thunderstorms.
If a new storefront on San Jose has you wondering what the shopping centers near you are worth, or what nearby changes might mean for your own home, the team at Selling With CC keeps track of Mandarin closely and is glad to talk it through. Contact us anytime.
