Following unexpected delays, J. Alexander’s Restaurant finally opened Jan. 10 in the former North Naples spot of the longtime Buca di Beppo Italian restaurant, which operated for more than 20 years on U.S. 41 just south of Vanderbilt Beach Road.
Nashville-based J. Alexander’s has more than 30 locations nationwide with a menu that features a wide selection of American classics, including prime rib, steaks, seafood, sandwiches and entree salads. The Naples restaurant is the seventh in Florida for J. Alexander’s brand, following locations in Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Palm Beach Gardens, Plantation and Tampa.
With an upscale casual dining concept ideal for a wealthier tourism-based market that significantly dines out, what took J. Alexander’s so long to find its way to Naples?
“We’ve been trying for years, well before my time,” said Josh Kern, CEO of SPB Hospitality, which operates J. Alexander’s and more than a dozen other restaurant brands. “We’ve been definitely trying for many, many years. I think a little bit of kind of what happened post-COVID helped a little bit in terms of loosening some opportunities when we first started these conversations two years ago. We were trying to get in here and find the perfect trade area. So, it’s been a long time coming.”
The company believes the wait is worth it, of course.
“It’s a great market. This has been a really good community to work with,” he said. “We were going to open last year, and then construction slowed things down. And, then, we really were actually ready Dec. 13 or so, but then you get the holidays and you’re pulling people from where they’re at, so we wanted to wait through the holidays and did all of our training really the second of January, and through (opening day).”
The building was gutted and the kitchen was relocated to create J. Alexander’s. The restaurant boasts 80 tables with a seating capacity of just less than 200. That includes a small outdoor patio on its southern side, a private dining room for as many as 24 guests and a large bar at the heart of the restaurant.
The restaurant bases its success on its refined culinary chops.
“There are two things that are frozen here: ice cream and french fries [although the chain is known for its skinny fries]. Everything else is made from scratch,” Kern said.
The restaurant serves a varied and rotating selection of features, including the Avocado Bomb, an imaginative take on an appetizer that features fresh avocado and hand-cut Hawaiian tuna. The brand added more seafood for this location and even created a salad for Naples: Paradise Coast Kale Salad with roast chicken, cranberries, avocado and goat cheese. “You won’t find that one on our other menus,” Kern said.
Menu highlights include filet mignon with bearnaise complemented by a full-service bar that includes a large selection of wines by the glass and bottle.
“What we do in terms of our steak selection process is amazing. Hand-cutting those steaks, the pride that goes on those grills, so I personally love those,” Kern said. “Our prime rib sandwich is to die for. It’s shaved in-house, it’s medium rare, it has the au jus—it’s a home run every time.”
Desserts are not listed on the menu, but servers bring around trays of options at the end of the meal. Options include the brand’s famous carrot cake, as well as key lime pie, New York-style cheesecake and a decadent chocolate bomb.
“I do think that the attention to detail when it comes to food preparation is second to none,” Kern said. “I think that level of service and attention to detail is what we’re known for and those two things certainly set us apart.”
The restaurant hired nearly 100 to staff the Naples location. “The encouraging part is that we found some talented folks here,” Kern said. “Many come from all sorts of different restaurants.”
Pre-pandemic, the chain had a stricter dress code, requiring sport coats for gentlemen, but policies have since been relaxed to be more in step with the changing times.
“We’ve loosened it up a little bit, because I do think that, nowadays, it doesn’t matter kind of, as long as you’re not completely out of character wearing something inappropriate,” Kern said. “J. Alexander’s is certainly kind of this a little bit upscale casual category, but you can still dress down and wear flip-flops and T-shirts and have a good time or dress up for date night.”
The restaurant’s dress code prohibits “overly casual attire,” including tank tops and overly provocative clothing, including offensive or profane language or images on clothing, according to its website.
“The one thing that we’ve held steadfast to is just that core of hospitality,” Kern said, referring to the restaurant’s employees. “We do hold them to very high standards in terms of dress codes, making sure that their fingernails are clipped and that there is definitely an elevated hospitality because you know that that’s where we are born. We won’t go away from that in terms of how our teams look, and all the way into the back of the kitchen.”
Alexander’s, 8860 Tamiami Trail N., is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
