If you thought the chicken wars had cooled off in Mandarin, think again. On Friday, May 29, the City of Jacksonville signed off on key permits clearing the way for Raising Cane's to build on the former Pollo Tropical site at Mandarin Corners, just south of Interstate 295. Plans filed with the city describe a roughly 2,770-square-foot enclosed restaurant within a 3,294-square-foot total footprint, along with a dual drive-thru, a pickup canopy and a dumpster enclosure. The project carries an estimated value of about $1.73 million and includes a demolition permit to tear down the existing Pollo Tropical structure.
As reported by Jax Daily Record, the city is also reviewing a site-clearing and horizontal development permit tied to the Mandarin project, plus a separate demolition permit estimated at $50,000. The paperwork breaks the job into three building permits that cover the restaurant shell, the dual drive-thru setup and the pickup window canopies.
Site and size details
The future chicken stop sits at 10989 San Jose Blvd. in the Mandarin Corners shopping center, a 1.05-acre parcel anchored by a Walmart Supercenter. Property records and commercial listings confirm the address and parcel information, while planroom notices for the project list the site details and a mid-May bid date for construction work. LoopNet and LDI Planroom both include the lot and project listing information.
Design, contractor and approvals
City filings and plan notes show that the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation signed off on plans that call for about 77 seats at the location, with a mix of indoor and outdoor seating. Jax Daily Record also identifies Kimley-Horn & Associates as the civil engineer on the project and Frontier Building Corp. of Miami as the contractor listed on the permits. Retail Strategies LLC is named as the property owner and, according to a recorded memorandum of lease, has leased the parcel to Raising Cane’s on an initial 20-year term with renewal options.
Where this fits in Cane’s Jacksonville push
The Mandarin permit marks the latest move in Raising Cane's multi-site push into Northeast Florida. The chain opened its first Jacksonville-area restaurant on July 15, 2025, at 8308 Merchants Way in Oakleaf Station, where local coverage reported long opening-day lines. Reports and plan listings indicate the company is also targeting other former Pollo Tropical locations around the metro for conversions or new builds, part of a broader race for outparcels that opened up when Pollo Tropical closed its remaining Jacksonville spots earlier in 2025. ActionNewsJax and local project roundups have followed those openings and proposals, while regional outlets tracked the Pollo Tropical shutdowns last February. Magic 93.9 reported on the chain's recent Jacksonville closures.
The city has not yet posted a public opening date for the Mandarin location, and the permit review for site-clearing and horizontal work is still listed as active in municipal records. The City of Jacksonville's permitting process typically involves several inspections and approvals before construction can get going, so demolition and build-out could take several months once everything is finalized. City of Jacksonville guidance outlines the required steps and local contacts for those timelines.
