JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jazzy’s Restaurant and Lounge, a well-known restaurant located on Post and King Street in Riverside, announced its immediate closure on Tuesday.
The announcement left patrons sad and confused about the abrupt shutdown.
“I’ve been coming here for the past three years,” Geurmette Solomon, a Jazzy’s Customer, said. “I liked the live Jazz music. It was so nice, and the fried chicken was the best, and their crab cakes — ugh!”
A statement said the location — which opened in 2019 and was known for its great food and atmosphere — was closing due to “circumstances beyond our control” and announced a new project called 904 Jazzy’s.
Co-owner Celestia Mobley, a chef who’s been in the industry for 25 years, said Jazzy’s is closing – mainly due to lawsuits.
“And this last one really got us,” Mobley said. ” The lady — we didn’t even have a record of her being there. She didn’t have a receipt. But she was able to sue us and get quite a bit of money. And that caused our insurance to go extremely high. Matter of fact, some people didn’t even want to cover us.”
News4JAX found an ongoing complaint from 2021 where a woman sustained significant injuries after tripping and falling inside the restaurant. On top of this lawsuit, Mobley said her landlord told her Jazzy’s became too much of a liability.
“I fought to keep Jazzy’s open,” Mobley said. “I wanted people to be able to come and of course, have great food, and then listen to live music. Jacksonville deserves Jazzy’s. We’re a growing city. So we need to have the live music and where people can come and smoke hookah and just, you know, vibe out.”
Mobley said she is heartbroken but is already looking to the future.
The new restaurant – 904 Jazzy’s — will be located in downtown Jacksonville. They hope to open by the end of this year or the start of next year. The owner told News4JAX what didn’t work there, won’t be brought to the new restaurant.
She said she loves and appreciates the endless support from the community – on this very hard day.
Jazzy’s sister restaurant, Celestia’s Coastal Cuisine, will remain open.
News4JAX is working to learn more information.