Fat Tuesday, the frozen-daiquiri chain that helped define nightlife at The Jacksonville Landing in the late 1980s and 1990s, is planning a return to Jacksonville nearly 30 years after closing its local locations.
Yes, that Fat Tuesday. The Mardi Gras-themed restaurant and bar famous for its high-octane frozen drinks served in its signature plastic cups.
According to the chain’s website and a July 23 social media post, Fat Tuesday is planning to open at 1045 Park St., in the former Rain Dogs spot vacated in December 2024.
“Get ready JAX, we’re coming your way,” Fat Tuesday wrote in the post shared with a sizzle reel on Instagram.
The bar is known for its menu of frozen daiquiris, including flavors like Cherry, Blue Raspberry, Strawberry, Electric
Lemonade, Pina Colada, Mango, Peach Bellini, Margarita, Watermelon and more.
Some locations also offer a limited menu of wings and pizza.
Founded in 1984 on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Fat Tuesday operates more than 60 locations in the United States, including 17 in Florida, according to the company’s website.
Fat Tuesday's first run at The Jacksonville Landing
As one of the original tenants of the former Jacksonville Landing, Fat Tuesday made its Jacksonville debut on June 25, 1987, in a second-floor spot with a river view.
Remembered mostly for its boozy, frozen daiquiri-fueled nights, the restaurant was also a popular lunch spot, offering a selection of poor boy sandwiches as well as jambalaya, gumbo, red beans and rice and more.
But after a successful decade-long run, Fat Tuesday closed at the Landing in June 1997, when the center’s owner, The Rouse Co., decided not to renew its lease in an effort to remake the image of the festival marketplace, the Times-Union reported at the time.
The party was set to continue at the Beaches ... until it didn't
The restaurant and bar was expected to continue the party at Jacksonville Beach.
Weeks before Fat Tuesday was set to close at the Landing, owners of popular Beaches bar Bukkets/Baha Beach Club announced that Fat Tuesday would take over the space in the 200 block of North First Street across from Sloppy Joe’s restaurant and bar.
“It’s a done deal,” Bukkets/Baha said at the time.
But it never happened.
Two years later, in April 1999, the Times-Union reported that Fat Tuesday had signed a lease at the planned Main Street Florida near Airport and Duval roads. But plans for the regional mall were scuttled in August 2002 after several delays. (In 2006, River City Marketplace opened at the site, but without Fat Tuesday.)
Gary T. Mills is the deputy managing editor at The Florida Times-Union. He has led the newspaper's dining coverage since 2010.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Fat Tuesday plans return to Jacksonville nearly 30 years after closing
