A much awaited drive-thru and walk-up window restaurant in Jacksonville Beach, famed for its freshly made, hot-off-the-grill smash burgers and homestyle fries, along with its made-up namesake, is finally open.
The third Dick Mondell’s Burgers & Fries location, located at 1177 Third St. S., will open on Monday. The Gainesville-based restaurant franchise was started and is operated by two friends who met in culinary school and have a lighthearted sense of humor.
There are a few picnic tables outside at the new location, but no indoor seating. The old, dilapidated self-service car wash is replaced, just three blocks from the Atlantic Ocean.
Connor Castelli and Chris Leckerling, co-founders and co-owners, created the Gainesville restaurant concept in 2018—named after a fantasy from their culinary school days.
Located on the same street as Beach Hut Cafe, the Jacksonville Beach eatery has been in the works for approximately a year. It joins the Gainesville location of Dick Mondell’s at 412 SW Fourth Ave. and the Tallahassee location at 1808 S. Monroe St.
Creating the recipes for the salads, sides, and beef and chicken burgers in their own kitchens, Castelli and Leckerling worked together to create the menu. There are about 50% vegan and vegetarian options available.
Local, sustainable, and fresh foods are the main features of the menu. Moreover, it mimics the lighthearted yet slightly immoral sense of humor of Dick Mondell, its fictional namesake.
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Some menu items consist of:
- The Original Big Dick, which costs $10.04, comes with two patties of beef, pickles, onions, and Dick’s Sauce.
- The $8.78 Herbed Chicken Burger A natural chicken patty from Joyce Farms, topped with mayo, lettuce, pickles, and onions.
- The vegan Impossible Burger ($11.92) comes with pickles, onions, lettuce, and vegan Dick’s Sauce.
- Green leaf lettuce, tomato, onion, different grains, chickpeas, cucumber, and carrots are included in the Garden & Grain Salad ($8.15). There are three options for dressing: Dick’s Sauce, Vegan Dick’s Sauce, and Lemon Herb Vinaigrette.
The menu lists the following side dishes: “Dirty” Kettle Chips ($3.14), Sweet Potato Tots ($3.14), and Natural Cut Fries ($1.88 for a small size and $3.14 for a large).
Additionally, Dick Mondell’s sells milkshakes using all-natural Palazzolo’s Artisan Dairy ice cream in flavors such chocolate, vanilla, coffee, and orange creamsicle for $6.27.
Desserts on the menu include a Waffle Cookie created with two in-house vegan pizzelles and an ice cream cookie sandwich for $2.18.
