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F E A T U R E D R E S T A U R A N T
Celebrating a way of life that is immersed in the sea and sand, this St. Augustine Beach restaurant offers a stylish casual setting and inspiring food.
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Lush landscaping, blue neon lighting, an outdoor lounge and firepit area, and upper oceanview deck make the Salt Life setting complete.
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By Wendy White Philcox, Publisher,
The Restaurant Times St. Augutstine was abuzz last year as a new building rose from a sandy lot directly across from the St. Augustine Beach Fishing Pier and recreation area. Residents learned it was the owners of Harry’s, one of St. Augustine’s most popular downtown restaurants and the theme was based around the the wildly popular lifestyle brand Salt Life. Drive down the road and almost every other car you see has a Salt Life decal in the back window. In this area, where the brand was developed, you see the Salt Life logo everywhere—on shirts, hats, sunglasses, shoes and now, best of all, emblazoned on one of St. Augustine Beach’s best and newest resraurant—Salt Life Food Shack. In 2009, the team negotiated a liscensing agreement with the owners of the Salt Life to create restaurants which capture the spirit of the brand. Later that year, they converted their Jacksonville Beach Harry’s location to become the first Salt Life Food Shack. The restaurant met with great success and the St. Augustine Beach location was already on the drawing board. In April of 2014, the restaurant opened and lines were out the door. Fanfare prior to the opening had been huge as the restaurant was featured on an episode of “Tanked,” featuring a quirky team of fish tank designers and fabricators who develop fantastical custom designs. I caught up with Jeff Jabot, to get the scoop on the development of St. Augustine’s Salt Life Seafood Shack and the future of this popular restaurant concept. WP: A centerpiece of your new restaurant is your amazing salt water fish tank. How did you get the attention of the “Tanked” team and have them create a custom 1,000-gallon fish tank for the new St. Augustine restaurant? JJ: Actually is was fairly simple. I just reached out to them and explained our concept and how well our concept would fit into their show. It piqued their interest enough for them to make a visit and see it for themselves. They immediately loved it and agreed we would be a good fit and story for the show. Then came the hard part of deciding on the design and location of the tank, but luckily it all worked out. It’s truly amazing how many people come to see the aquarium and mention the “Tanked” show. WP: How did the marriage of the Salt Life brand and a restaurant concept based on that lifestyle come to fruition? JJ: We happen to know the guys that started Salt Life and reached out to them with the idea of giving Salt Life a sense of place. They loved the idea and a deal was struck. Now, anybody that has a question of what the brand is can come into Salt Life Food Shack and get a taste of what it’s truly about. WP: Is the St. Augustine location the largest of the locations? JJ: Yes, it is. It has 6,200 square feet inside with roughly another 3,000 square feet of outside deck. This location is quite unique because it has an upper deck with a bar which allows the guest to enjoy the beautiful Salt Life atmosphere while dining and taking in views of the ocean. WP: I’ve read that Salt Life Restaurant Group LLC has plans to expand. What markets are you currently looking in? JJ: We’ve been spending a lot of time working with many brokers throughout the state. We are currently looking in Daytona Beach, St. Pete Beach, Clearwater Beach, Destin, Pensacola, Panama City Beach, and Orlando. However, we are open to many different markets as long as the location is salty. WP: How did your team approach menu development for Salt Life? JJ: We kept it as true to the brand as possible. There is a lot of seafood on the menu. The menu was inspired by some of the most exotic places we have visited, such as Costa Rica, Hawaii, Nicaragua, the Bahamas and the Keys. We were selective in sharing some favorites we enjoyed during those adventures. I will say that many weeks of tastings went into perfecting the menu. WP: What are Salt Life’s best selling menu items? JJ: Hands down the Poke Bowl is number one. This dish is straight from Wishbones in Playa Jaco [Costa Rico]. It consists of fresh tuna seasoned with Caliches’s secret marinade. Served with steamed spinach over sticky rice and finished with diced avocados, green onions and sesame seeds. Our next best sellers would be the Fried Shrimp then our Shack Burger. WP: As a partner of two successful restaurant concepts—one that has been successful for 27 years and one that is a dazzling newcomer to the restaurant scene—do you have plans for unveiling any other concepts? JJ: Yes, we do have plans for other concepts in the future. Hopefully, if all goes as planned, we will be introducing something new to the market within two years. WP: What, in your experience, are the keys to developing a successful restaurant concept? JJ: It’s all about creating the right culture with a true sense of hospitality being the focus and then finding the right people who believe in and want to work diligently at delivering that culture. If you can do that, you most likely will be successful. Salt Life Food Shack is open daily for lunch and dinner s at 11 a.m. Happy Hour is daily from 3-7 p.m. Rooftop deck features separte bar and lounge. |
“THE MENU WAS INSPIRED BY SOME OF THE MOST EXOTIC PLACES WE HAVE VISITED, SUCH AS COSTA RICA, HAWAII, NICARAGUA, THE BAHAMAS AND THE KEYS.”
“IT'S TRULY AMAZING HOW MANY PEOPLE COME TO SEE THE AQUARIUM AND MENTION THE 'TANKED' SHOW.” 
The Poke Bowl is hands-down Salt Life’s most popular menu item.
“NOW ANYBODY THAT HAS A 
A platter of oysters for two!
Salt Life Seafood Shack 321 A1A Beach Blvd. St. Augustine Beach (904) 217-3256 www.saltlifefoodshack.com |
