A new sports bar is coming to University Drive in Coral Springs, and it already has a hiring flyer taped to its front windows — but not much else in the way of a clear paper trail. RK Centers, which owns the Coral Palm Plaza shopping center, says a business called Timeout Sports Grill has signed a lease for the space at 2049 N. University Drive. A banner outside the storefront, however, reads “Coming Soon: Time Out Sports & Grill,” a slightly different name that has left the identity of the new tenant murkier than a typical restaurant opening.
According to Coral Springs News, an RK Centers representative confirmed that Timeout Sports Grill is in fact the correct original name of the incoming business, despite the discrepancy on the storefront signage. The outlet reported it could find no sports bar-related companies registered under either name at the 2049 N. University Drive address in business records, leaving the ownership behind the new restaurant unconfirmed. RK Centers first announced on August 13 that Timeout Sports Grill would become the plaza's newest tenant, though the company's social media post and website offered no further details about the business.
Despite the paperwork mystery, the new restaurant is already recruiting staff. A printed hiring list taped to the restaurant's front windows this week seeks servers, bartenders, cooks, line cooks, prep cooks, dishwashers, hosts or hostesses, bussers, food runners and management. The flyer calls for experienced and reliable workers with a great attitude and flexible availability, and directs applicants to send resumes to [email protected]. No opening date has been announced.
A Shopping Center With a Revolving Door of Restaurants
The space has seen a fair amount of turnover in recent years. Donde Yubra, La Chama and Sweetbowl Thai and Sushi have each operated in the same storefront, with none lasting more than five years, per Coral Springs News reporting. Coral Palm Plaza's current lineup also includes Michael's, Flora's Fine Foods, Panera Bread and Livello Italian Restaurant, alongside Altitude Trampoline Park and a forthcoming Kodiak Fitness gym that RK Centers announced in March.
RK Centers bought the 135,723-square-foot plaza in December 2015 for $28.15 million in an all-cash deal from Investcorp, according to The Real Deal, acquiring the property free of debt. The firm was founded by former Israeli professional basketball player and Miami Heat limited partner Raanan Katz, and it now manages more than 10 million square feet of retail space across New England and South Florida, per LoopNet. The plaza sits at the southeast corner of N. University Drive and Royal Palm Boulevard, an intersection with average daily traffic counts exceeding 71,000 vehicles, according to a fact sheet published by RK Centers.
Same Name, Different City — Or Just a Coincidence?
A Jacksonville sports bar called Time Out Sports Grill has been associated with owner Matt Harris, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record. The new tenant's relationship to that Jacksonville business remains unconfirmed.
Whoever ends up running it, the new tenant is stepping into the local restaurant market.
Part of a Busy Stretch for University Drive
The timing lines up with activity along the corridor. The new restaurant will add another business to University Drive.
Coral Springs saw five new dining establishments open in August alone. Whether the new sports bar opens under the Timeout or Time Out banner, it joins a University Drive corridor that has rarely stopped adding — and losing — restaurants in recent years.
