RuRu’s Tacos and Tequila aims for February opening in Lake Worth Beach
Mexican-inspired eatery, with locations in Charlotte, N.C. and Charleston, S.C., will take over the former Blue Front Bar & Grill space at 1132 N. Dixie Hwy.
RuRu’s Tacos and Tequila, a Mexican-inspired restaurant, will open early next year to the former Blue Front Bar & Grill building in Lake Worth Beach, the owner says.
“We will open, probably, in February,’’ said RuRu founder Martin Sprock, an entrepreneur who co-founded and later sold the popular Moe’s Southwest Grill.
Work has been ongoing at the art deco building at 1132 N. Dixie Hwy. for at least a year, he said. Crews recently erected a 40-foot high tiki hut in the rear courtyard. An island bar with covered seating will be added.
A commercial site plan is still under review, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 12, according to city records.
If and when the Lake Worth Beach eatery opens, it will be the third RuRu’s Tacos and Tequila, following the first in Charlotte, N.C. in 2015, and a second one four years later in Charleston, S.C. Another location is planned for Atlanta, Sprock said.
“I think it is going to be something everybody is going to be super happy with. It’s going to look gorgeous. It’s going to be festive,’’ he said.
RuRu’s is part of Smock’s Atlanta-based Big Game Brands, “a portfolio of distinctive restaurant concepts spanning over 60 locations nationwide,” according to his website.
RuRu’s will serve tequila, vodka and other liquor from Sprockefeller Spirits, a company he founded in 2023. He said the menu will feature “incredible” food ranging from tacos, fajitas and burritos to salsa, Korean tacos and Asian calamari.
A movie buff, Sprock named RuRu’s menu offerings after lines from favorite movies, even if the lines have little to do with the food — ”Run Forrest, Run” seared ahi tuna (“Forrest Gump), “Show me the money” firecracker shrimp (“Jerry Maguire”) and “How do you like them apples” burrito (“Good Will Hunting.”)
“We started Moe’s,’’ he said of the popular brand he launched in 2000 and sold to Roarke Capital in 2007. With RuRu’s, he said, “We took it up a notch and delivered a better product and a better atmosphere.’’
RuRu’s Lake Worth Beach will open in a building with deep restaurant roots. Built in 1945, with an eye-catching tower entrance at the southeast corner of 12th Avenue North and Dixie, it was home to Kristine’s Restaurant from 1949 to the 1990s.
After housing a catering company, it became the Jetsetter Lounge in 2006, followed by the popular Blue Front Bar & Grill from 2014 to 2018.
Sprock, through his company Round Boys LLC, paid $1.6 million for the property in April 2022. But getting RuRu’s open hasn’t been as easy as he’d hoped.
He originally targeted a May 2023 opening.
“We had a really hard time with permits,’’ he said. “It was a very tough, challenging process. To be honest with you, we felt a little bit daunted at times.’’
Not long after he bought the property, code enforcement slapped a series of citations for graffiti on windows, mildew, faded paint, overgrown vegetation and other infractions, city records show. He said he corrected everything while also trying to renovate the building.
“I kind of expected these guys to be a little bit more pro-business,’’ he said of the city. “I’m not saying they were terrible. I’m just saying we thought we were going to get a little more help. My contractor has done everything he can do to play by the book and please everybody and it’s still been a very tough process.’’
Sprock said he believes in Lake Worth Beach. His company, Round Boys, also owns investment property in College Park, Eden Place and Parrot Cove and several properties in West Palm Beach.
“I’m proud to be part of Lake Worth,’’ he said. “When we do get it open, I hope the neighborhood supports us. It’s going to be a fun place.’’
Parking at this location has always been an issue. What arrangements have been made to accommodate patrons and where they park? The immediate area is residential and the homeowners are the ones who suffer.
Thank you for this! I hope everything goes smoothly and they get to open on time. And thank you Mr. Sprock for taking care of the pallets of mayonnaise and mustard that sat in the alley for ages.