After successfully expanding The Players Grille throughout Florida, co-owners Phil and Megan Visali plan to open a new speakeasy-style bar in Southbank at 1430 Prudential Drive.
The concept will move into the former American Cancer Center building, which has recently served as the headquarters of We Insure, the fast-growing insurance company from Phil Visali, according to the Jacksonville Business Journal. Insurance technology company PEAK6 InsurTech purchased We Insure in 2021, and the company plans to vacate the space in December. The new yet-to-be-named speakeasy-style bar is expected to open at the end of next year’s first quarter.
The new 13,000-square-foot space is currently under architectural design, and construction will soon follow. Customers can expect an upscale craft cocktail menu in a welcoming environment intended to serve as an option for the local neighborhood, with two hotels and three apartments under construction. The Visalis plan to keep the building’s connection to the Cancer Society by maintaining the “Garden of Hope” brick donor tribute found within the building.
The announcement comes after the Visalis bought the Players Grille in Miramar last year, with plans to expand significantly in the area and across the country. Parent company The Players Group has since opened a 5,000-square-foot location in Mandarin in August at 10140 San Jose Boulevard, followed by a third location at 1075 Oakleaf Plantation Parkway in Orange Park. With three locations already in operation, The Visalis are working on a new 5,000-square-foot Players Grille in the Home2Suites by Hilton hotel being built in Brooklyn, expected to open early next year. This appears to be just the beginning for the company.
“Our goal is to have the Players Grille sports bar in every city that has an NFL franchise,” Visali told the Business Journal. “We’re looking at Tampa next.”
