Famous Amos has served comfort on a plate — country fried steak, fried chicken, greens, field peas, biscuits and gravy — for more than 40 years at its Southside Jacksonville restaurant.
At 3 p.m. Tuesday, servers will clear the tables for the final time.
The down-home Southern comfort food restaurant, known for its iconic Western decor and ranch wagon sign at 3911 University Boulevard West, is closing its doors.
“The owners said we weren’t making enough revenue,” Gene Hall, restaurant manager, who has been with the restaurant chain for 32 years, told the Times-Union on Monday.
The University Boulevard West location is the second location of the hometown Jacksonville restaurant chain to close in six months.
In June, the Famous Amos at 10339 San Jose Blvd. in Mandarin closed after about 40 years. A medical marijuana dispensary plans to open in that space.
The University Boulevard closure leaves two Famous Amos restaurants open in Jacksonville: 8265 Normandy Blvd. on the Westside and 11565 N. Main St. on the Northside.
The restaurant’s owner couldn’t be reached for comment. Hall said only his location was closing.
Hall, who’s managed the University Boulevard restaurant for nine years, said some of the employees are trying to relocate to the other locations.
“Others don’t have transportation so they’re going to try to start all over again [with new jobs],” said Hall, who is among the restaurant’s employees looking for a new position.
The University Boulevard restaurant — like the Normandy Boulevard location and former Mandarin restaurant — opened in or about 1979.
The Jacksonville-based restaurant chain’s history dates back to 1967 when it first opened at 7533 Atlantic Blvd., near the intersection with Arlington Road.
By 1980, Famous Amos had opened restaurants throughout the city including the Westside (8265 Normandy Blvd. and 6315 San Juan Ave.), Northside (880 Lem Turner Road), Arlington (8714 Atlantic Blvd.), Southside (3911 University Blvd. W.; 5933 Powers Ave.; and 4915 Beach Blvd.), Atlantic Beach (395 Atlantic Blvd.) and Mandarin, according to a review of Jacksonville city directories.
Other restaurants would follow — and later close — in Orange Park (342 Blanding Blvd.) and Arlington (1111 Cesery Blvd.).
Hall said news they were closing came as a shock.
Times-Union writer Gary T. Mills contributed to this report.