‘There’s nothing here:’ Downtown dining staple closes for good

JACKSONVILLE, Fla — For many working in and around downtown Jacksonville, Mag’s Cafe has become a downtown staple.

“Everyone downtown, the federal courthouse people, City Hall, the public defender’s office, library, it’s the closest best place for us to eat,” Teri Sopp told Action News Jax.

However, on Friday, the restaurant was forced to close its doors for good, leaving many working around downtown to look for a new quick bite to eat.

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“It’s sad because there’s not a lot of breakfast places around here. They do have some good restaurants around here, but that’s one of the best places for breakfast to me,” said Matthew Jackson.

The owner of Mag’s Café, Bobby Reynolds, told Action News Jax in an interview on Friday that one of the major reasons for closing was actually the downtown placement of the location itself.

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“Our homeless situation down here, it’s not improving. I had a couple of situations, run ins, not myself, but most of my employees [have had] run ins with homeless individuals,” said Reynolds.

Reynolds also cited a lack of downtown nightlife as a limiting factor to his business’s growth.

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“We have tried to open up during the evening times, and there’s just, can’t get enough support,” explained Reynolds. “Our biggest attraction is James Wheldon park. There’s nothing here.”

Now, Reynolds has closed the restaurant’s doors for good, leaving many to say goodbye to what has become a downtown favorite.

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