The Old Taylor Farmhouse Is Coming Back, Starting With the Septic System
"If it were easy, somebody would have done it before us," Tyler Fabricant told the Palm Beach Post in September. He was talking about the property on Jupiter Farms Road that used to be Taylor Farmhouse Cafe.
He and his wife, Melissa, are turning it into Fabricant Farms. A new owner couldn't simply reopen the restaurant as it was. The 1979 building had to be brought up to current code, starting with a new septic system and a well, and that is a big part of why the corner has been dark for three years.
Chris and Elizabeth Taylor opened Taylor Farmhouse in 2018. By the time it closed, the Palm Beach Post was calling it a popular farmhouse restaurant and music venue, and one of the few stand-alone restaurants in Jupiter Farms. The Post also reported that some locals rode there on horseback and used the corral.
The restaurant closed suddenly on Oct. 28, 2023. The owners of Okeechobee Steakhouse had taken over operations that July, and the arrangement ended a few months later.
The Fabricants were regulars. In the Post's September account, they came for the live music, the bonfire pit and the open lawn where children could run around while their parents relaxed. When their kids were younger, the family went almost every week. After the closure, Melissa saw a chance to bring it back. They signed a contract to buy the property in May 2024. Nearly two years of planning and permitting followed before the sale closed this past March, the Post reported in September.
Counted from the closure, the restaurant will have been dark about three years by the time it reopens. Most of that time went into permits, not construction.
At first the Fabricants planned a modest project: a deck, some bathrooms, a few repairs, and then reopen. The sale changed that. According to the Post, a new owner couldn't keep operating under the conditions Taylor Farmhouse had. County officials said the restaurant could reopen without major improvements, but only with six seats.
Six seats would not have brought back the old Friday nights, so the couple chose to do the full set of upgrades. These are the main pieces, drawn from the Palm Beach Post and from WFLX's March report:
| Upgrade | What it supports |
|---|---|
| A new $270,000 septic system | Seating for a full-size restaurant |
| A commercial drinking-water well | Running a commercial kitchen and dining room on a rural lot |
| About 20 new parking spaces | Room for dinner crowds and live-music nights |
| A rebuilt deck and resealed roof | Bringing the 1979 building up to current code |
| A new stage pavilion | Live music |
The building added its own surprises. When workers pulled up the old kitchen floor, they found another floor underneath, and rotted material under that, which also had to come out. Tyler told the Post the final budget was more than double the original estimate. The couple took out a Small Business Administration loan and is paying the extra costs themselves.
The septic system by itself cost $270,000. That is the single largest figure the Post reported for the project, and it went into a system nobody will see from the parking lot.
The Fabricants also asked people in Jupiter Farms what they missed about Taylor Farmhouse and what they wanted next. Tyler told the Post he paid attention to local residents rather than social media. "I'm gathering the community's opinion," he said, "not somebody in Boynton Beach's opinion."
The top requests, as the Post reported them, were ice cream, outdoor activities and favorite dishes from the old menu. Chris Taylor, the former owner and chef, is consulting on the kitchen and helping bring back dishes longtime customers asked for. Gator bites were one of the most requested, but alligator meat has gotten expensive, so Tyler is working on a shrimp version he calls "swamp fritters."
The survey also turned up interest in Sunday morning yoga. Residents said they would come, so Melissa got certified to teach. Classes are planned for the lawn, which will also host community events and give children space to play.
The project is opening in stages. The Post calls the restaurant the first and most important phase. Everything else comes after.
Phase one, the restaurant. Business Debut describes a full-service, farmhouse-style menu with burgers, mac and cheese, steaks, fish, flatbreads and tacos. The planned schedule is dinner Wednesday through Sunday, with Tuesday as a goal. Sunday brunch should start early on, and lunch and breakfast later. Exact hours haven't been announced.
Outdoors from the start. The Fabricant Farms website lists live music and a food truck. According to WhatNow, the truck will park outside the property and serve tacos and burritos. Business Debut reports it will sit next to the stage and help the main kitchen during events and on busy nights. According to the Post, Tyler painted the truck himself.
Later phases. After the restaurant, the plans include:
WFLX reported in March that the project would create at least 40 jobs once it's fully open.
The address is 16891 Jupiter Farms Road, according to WhatNow. The website says the owners hope to open "before Thanksgiving," which falls on Nov. 26 this year. The Post's September report said they expected to serve food by late November, but called winter the safer bet for a project with this many moving parts. So far, no opening day has been announced. Late November is the target, not a set date.
Until then, other events nearby keep the season going:
The county equestrian park and the dairy farm we wrote about in August are the closest thing Jupiter Farms has to a town center. If the Fabricants open on schedule, the 1.83-acre lot on Jupiter Farms Road will join them, with a stage, a lawn and a kitchen built to current code.
Fabricant Farms shows how much a change in ownership can depend on what's underground. If you own or are thinking about buying a property in Jupiter Farms, Lighthouse Realty Group can walk you through how these systems affect value and timing locally. Schedule a Free Consultation.
Get assistance in determining the current property value, crafting a competitive offer, writing and negotiating a contract, and much more. Contact us today.