TooJay's plans to reopen in old Coyo Taco space

TooJay’s has secured a new lease and the town’s approval for the gourmet deli and restaurant to move from its 40-year-old founding location in Royal Poinciana Plaza to another space in the shopping center.  

The developments advance the deli-restaurant’s intent to reopen during the holiday season in its new berth in Suite 335, plaza officials said.  

TooJay’s new space in the plaza was home to Coyo Taco for three years until the taqueria closed in May

“We’re thrilled to keep TooJay’s on property as they are beloved by many,” plaza General Manager Lori Berg said. “Having a casual and popular dining establishment that is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner in our west courtyard is an important balance for the property.” 

TooJay’s, which emerged from bankruptcy protection a year ago with an asset-management firm’s backing, signed the new lease with the plaza Monday.  

Also Monday, the Town Council voted unanimously to approve TooJay’s relocation from its original home in Suite 313, where the deli chain was founded in 1981 before it grew to include multiple Florida locations. The old location closed Aug. 8.

Renovations have not yet begun in TooJay’s new 3,529-square-foot berth, which is roughly the same size as the deli’s former suite, but a December reopening is tentatively planned. Hours of operation — 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.— were approved Monday by the council.  

TooJay’s move comes as its former lease was ending. The deli chain’s officials haven’t elaborated on why switching spaces — instead of staying put — may be advantageous, but Berg said there are benefits. 

In addition to giving TooJay’s “greater visibility” on the property, “the kitchen there is practically brand-new since it was built when Coyo first moved there,” she said. Ample dine-in space is complemented by “a larger area for takeout.”       

“The layout is much more beneficial for TooJay’s and how it envisions its business moving forward,” she said.  

TooJay’s new neighbors will include tenants slated to open in the plaza later this fall, including upscale fashion retailers Marissa Collections, Frame and Veronica Beard, Berg said.  

The TooJay’s chain, with 20 restaurants in Florida, is managed and operated by Orlando-based Earl Enterprises, whose dining-concept portfolio includes Buca di Beppo and Planet Hollywood, among others. Chicago-based asset-management firm Monroe Capital owns the deli chain.      

TooJay’s filed for bankruptcy protection in April 2020, noting that “the devastating economic impact” of the COVID-19 pandemic had hobbled its business, which previously had “operated profitably.” 

In its filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of Florida, TooJay’s reported liabilities of $10 million to $50 million and indicated the company had recently secured a $6.4 million Payment Protection Program loan as part of the federal CARES Act. 

Monroe assumed all of TooJay’s debt and provided capital, allowing it to emerge from bankruptcy in September of last year. 

A restructuring plan at the time entailed closing five restaurants in Naples, Sarasota, DeLand and two in the Fort Lauderdale area. Since then, a TooJay’s location in Palm Beach Gardens has closed, leaving 20 locations in Florida, including eight in Palm Beach County. 

Before Monroe Capital, TooJay's was owned by Brookdale Equity Partners and Branford Castle Inc., which bought the chain in 2013. TooJay's was founded in 1981 by friends and business partners Mark Jay Katzenberg and Jay Brown.