A legacy of ice cream, pork tenderloin and a drive-in atmosphere will continue next month with the opening of Rockin Robyn’s, a revival of Robyn’s Drive-in in South Jacksonville.
Kortny Bland will pick up where her mother, Robyn Bland, left off, putting her own touch on the family business in which she grew up by turning Robyn’s Drive-in into Rockin Robyn’s.
“I didn’t want to see it end,” Kortny Bland said. “If I didn’t want to take it over, she would have had to put it up for sale.”
Robyn’s Drive-in at 2209 S. Main St. closed in 2019. It then became Sally’s Chill and Grill, which closed in June, clearing the way for mother and daughter to return to the restaurant business.
Kortny Bland was 8 when she started working by her mom’s side, washing dishes before moving on to cook or oversee the restaurant in her mom’s absence as she got older.
“I know all the ins and outs,” she said. “I was called ‘Ice Cream Lady 2’ or ‘The Ice Cream Lady’s daughter’ because they all knew Mom as the Ice Cream Lady.”
While Kortny Bland will run the business, Robyn Bland will be there to help.
Robyn Bland started Robyn’s Drive-in as a more stable business, she said, but she had run concessions and has been serving ice cream and food for about 30 years.
“I retired in 2019, but I can’t give it up,” Robyn Bland said. “I like doing this. I’ll never really retire. I’ll work here a few days a week to help her out.”
Kortny Bland is excited to get the business open and to see some of the regulars who would visit as she grew up, she said.
“I can run into someone at Walmart and I would remember what they would always order,” Kortny Bland said. “I might not be able to remember their name, but I could tell you what ice cream they ordered.”
Rockin Robyn’s also will serve some of the items for which Roby’s Drive-in was known prior to its closing, including pork tenderloin and gyros. Other food items will include hot dogs, hamburgers, weekly specials and soups.
And, of course, they’ll continue the hand-scooped ice cream, including two sugar-free options, and will begin serving soft-serve ice cream.
Kortny Bland expects to have Rockin Robyn’s open for business starting Aug. 9, she said. Hours will be from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The kitchen will close at 8 p.m., though ice cream will remain available until 9 p.m.
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Sweet succession - Jacksonville Journal-Courier
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