Bright orange shipping-container restaurants — the hallmark of fast-casual franchise Smalls Sliders — are heading to the Jacksonville market. Franchisee William Cone is bringing the first locations for the brand to the Jacksonville area, with plans to open two locations in 2026.
The first location will open at 1545 County Road 210 in St. Johns, with construction slated to open in December. The second location will open at 14444 Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville Beach in Q4 of 2026.
The St. Johns location will be the fifth franchise spot for Cone, who currently operates two in Ocala, one in Tallahassee and one slated to open in December in Fort Walton Beach.
Both forthcoming restaurants will be about 820 square feet on the interior, meaning that they will rely on serving customers at the walk-up window and offer outdoor seating in a covered patio area.
“It’s a good, funky environment,” Cone told What Now Jacksonville. “It’s not an indoor sit-down, but it is definitely a place where you want to be outside, especially on a nice day. And in the summertime, we have fans rolling and music playing.”
The straightforward menu features sliders topped with cheese, pickle and the brand’s signature Smauce. Other menu items include fries and shakes.
“That bright orange shipping container is a new, funky kind of thing,” Cone said. “It’s very eye-catching. And then you get to the property itself, and you’re like, ‘This is absolutely delicious, and it’s super funky and cool.’ The product is good and it sells itself once you try it. We also are very, very focused on the hospitality aspect of things and the customer service experience.”
These initial locations are part of a larger plan for Cone in the Jacksonville area. He hopes to place about five to eight locations throughout Duval County. Eventually, he plans to expand to about 45 locations throughout Florida, southern Georgia and Alabama.
Brandon Landry opened the first Smalls Sliders location in Louisiana in 2019. There are now 43 locations open across 11 states in the Southeast. There are five locations currently open in Florida.
“You’ll see more cans popping up in Jacksonville as the years progress in the next two to three years,” Cone said.
