Beef ‘O’ Brady’s designated Orange Park for one of its future restaurants as it plans to roll out 14 new stores statewide.

Jamie Cecil, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Vice President of Franchise Development, said Orange Park had suitable had brand recognition, marketing, and a strong distribution in the area and marketing.

An Orange Park location on Blanding Boulevard closed in the late-2000s, in addition to three Jacksonville restaurants. Beef ‘O’ Brady’s has a strong footprint in Northeast Florida with restaurants in Palatka, Starke, Lake City and Gainesville.

“Beef ‘O’ Brady’s doesn’t work well in major metropolitan areas,” Cecil said. “It’s better in those smaller towns where we get involved in the community, because the community aspect of Beefs is critical.”

No Limit Agency business development manager Christian Albrecht said the Orange Park was targeted because of its growth.

“Beef ‘O’ Brady’s has 105 already-successful locations throughout the state and the brand looks to do the same in Orange Park,” Albrecht said in a press release. “With the development and movement into Orange Park, Beefs sees potential for families to fall in love with the redesigned model.”

Cecil said the chain redesigned restaurants and created a healthier menu with more options.

“Now we’re actually throwing some craft beer on there,” Cecil said. “It’s a more creative menu.”

Still looking for a franchisee and a space in Orange Park, Cecil’s timeline to open the new Florida 14 restaurants is two years. He called the redesign aggressive, but the area’s familiarity with Beef ‘O’ Brady’s was a great starting point.

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s doesn’t have the advertising or distribution pull of similar restaurants like Applebee's or Chili’s, which emphasizes the role of each franchise in the community, Cecil added.

“It’s not like we’re bring something that’s foreign to people. They understand what Beefs is about and the food is about,” Cecil said. “It’s much easier to grow around where you currently are as opposed to, ‘We’re going to go develop in Washington state.’ We have no footprint in Washington. People don’t know who we are there.”

Cecil said Clay County had the demographics and family components met what they’re looking for. Opening a new franchise typically costs $300,000-$500,000 with an established space or $700,000-$800,000 to reconfigure an empty space. A typical location has 30 employees and is 4,000-4,200 square feet.

The chain is based in the Tampa area and was founded in 1985 in Brandon. The restaurant has more than 200 restaurants in the U.S. The redesign focuses on new branding, healthier menus and revamped restaurant spaces.