---
title: "Grumpy’s Restaurant Looks Ahead to 2021 After a Successful Year in the Jacksonville Community"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/0dc59576-be23-4bda-8f88-85b6a514253a
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20201201_grumpys_restaurant_looks_ahead_to_2021_after_a_successful_year_in_the_jacks.html
category: "Restaurants"
industry: "Restaurants"
topics: ["Development & multi-unit"]
published: 2020-12-01T12:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:30:24.237Z
image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1497366216548-37526070297c?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop
---

# Grumpy’s Restaurant Looks Ahead to 2021 After a Successful Year in the Jacksonville Community

**TL;DR:** Grumpy's Restaurant is looking ahead to 2021 after a successful year in the Jacksonville community, with plans to continue its franchise expansion and support local residents. The brand sold its first two franchises in Middleburg and St. Johns, FL, and plans to open new locations and sell additional franchise units in Northeast Florida.

*originally published in Franchising.com on 2020-12-01. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20201201_grumpys_restaurant_looks_ahead_to_2021_after_a_successful_year_in_the_jacks.html).*

## Story

The restaurant is looking ahead to 2021 to continue to get involved and support residents in Northeast Florida as the brand continues to grow in the area.

Here are some notable moments in Grumpy’s Restaurant’s 2020:

- President and CEO Daniel DeLeon initially made headlines during the Spring as dining rooms were shut down in Florida. He set up an employee relief fund where he forfeited his own salary to continue sending all of his staff home with paychecks.

- DeLeon then worked with the restaurant’s vendors to set up a produce giveaway event to provide fresh food to local residents who could not afford groceries.

- Grumpy’s launched its “Buy a Breakfast & Give a Breakfast” campaign that allowed anyone to sponsor a meal, and Grumpy’s matched all donations. Through this campaign, over 1,000 meals have been donated to local healthcare workers, first responders, and less fortunate.

- Grumpy’s sold its first two franchises in Middleburg and St. Johns, FL.

- The Middleburg location opened in October after hosting a soft opening charity event, raising over $5800 for Florida’s First Coast YMCA.

“We have had our ups and downs this year, but we are coming out of 2020 stronger than ever and we are so excited to see what 2021 has in store for us,” said DeLeon. “I am thankful that this year has given us the opportunity to connect with our community in as many ways possible, and has brought us some incredible franchise partners to help continue to grow our brand.”

Looking ahead, Grumpy’s Restaurant’s third location is expected to open in St. Johns in the spring, and DeLeon plans to open two other locations throughout the year. He also plans to sell an additional three franchise units, which would open the following year, all of which are set to be located in Northeast Florida.

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- franchise expansion (topic)
- Multi-Unit (company)
- community support (topic)
- restaurant growth (topic)
- Grumpy's Restaurant (company)
- Daniel DeLeon (person)
- Northeast Florida (location)
- St. Johns (location)
- Middleburg (location)

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Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20201201_grumpys_restaurant_looks_ahead_to_2021_after_a_successful_year_in_the_jacks.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/0dc59576-be23-4bda-8f88-85b6a514253a).