The family behind Ancient City Brunch Bar is getting ready to expand throughout the city with a much larger location and a new concept opening soon.
Melissa Schroeder and Troy Wollenbecker operate Ancient City Brunch Bar in St. Augustine’s at 210 St. George Street, along with Schroeder’s two daughters, Sophia and Emily. Now, the family is getting ready to divide and conquer with a new concept called Ancient City Bourbon & Boards at 17 King Street and a much larger version of the Brunch Bar at 33 King Street, according to Jacksonville Business Journal. The Bourbon & Boards concept will have its grand opening around the weekend of October 13.
“This one, we just want to be able to have a space where after work that everyone can come and have a nice bourbon cocktail, a couple of tapas, have great conversation,” Schroeder tells the Business Journal. “Same thing we do at Brunch Bar but just for the night crowd.”
Ancient City Bourbon & Boards will move into the former home of the Italian restaurant Alta Marea. Customers can expect plenty of bourbons, cocktails, and live jazz frequently. As for the new, larger Brunch Bar, Sophia and Emily Schroeder will open in the former home of a Wells Fargo branch. The new Ancient City Brunch Bar will be 3,500 square feet, which is much larger than the original’s 500 square feet. With this additional space, the family plans to add a larger mimosa and coffee bar and an expanded menu and retail offerings. There is no exact opening date for the new location.
When it does open, the company will officially make this the only Ancient City Brunch Bar. On November 1, the original location will be turned into the Ancient City Tasting Room and host various cooking demonstrations. Speaking of, while the family is preparing for an all-out expansion, Melissa will continue the Ancient City Cooking Experience and supper club. Finally, the company is preparing for this expansion by hiring more staff and maintaining proper compensation and benefits, including health insurance and paid vacation.
“It’s about making sure they’re not worried about that next paycheck, especially in this industry,” Schroeder said. “If they’re happy, they’re going to give a better experience.”
