Salt Life Food Shack opening at beach

An Atlantic Beach construction firm has confirmed for Historic City News that they have won the contract to begin building a Salt Life Food Shack restaurant in St Augustine Beach on property across from the St Johns County pier.

The restaurant will be built by RPC General Contractors Inc on A1A Beach Boulevard at the end of SR-312, directly across from the St Augustine Pier, at a cost reported to be about $1.7 million.

“It will be a two-story, 7,000-square-foot building with 4,000 square feet of ocean view terraces and decks,” a company spokesman told reporters. “The project should break ground late next month and the restaurant should open toward the end of the summer.”

Salt Life is a brand conceived by four avid water lovers from Jacksonville Beach with a big dream, a love for the ocean, and a tattoo-inspired logo. The company began by selling Salt Life decals in 2003 and grew, in less than 10-years-time, to include the sale of a variety of retail products, a retail store featuring branded apparel, and now, restaurants.

According to restaurant owners Jeff Jabot and Greg Saig, the St Augustine Beach restaurant is a prototype design by architect Cronk Duch Architecture LLC and includes new areas where Salt Life merchandise will be sold.

“We’re pretty excited about this new destination location,” said Greg Saig, managing partner at Salt Life Restaurant Group. “The restaurant will be larger than the original Jacksonville Beach restaurant and we hope to create about 150 new jobs in the area.”