Dune Dog Cafe withdraws from Jupiter's Carlin Park. What to know
People line up outside to dine at Duke's Lazy Loggerhead Cafe in Jupiter, Florida on August 10, 2022.
A popular northern Palm Beach County eatery has withdrawn from an agreement to lease the long-shuttered restaurant at Jupiter's Carlin Park.
The Dune Dog Cafe and the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department mutually agreed to the move, parks spokesperson Chris Korbelak said. Dune Dog officials had announced plans to renovate the space long occupied by Duke’s Lazy Loggerhead Cafe, with the goal of opening there in early 2024.
However, "unforeseen" construction delays pushed the anticipated opening into 2025 and beyond. Attempts to reach Ricky Berrios, the Dune Dog's director of operations, for comment were not immediately successful.
In a March 2025 interview, Berrios told The Palm Beach Post that Dune Dog staff discovered unexpected repairs that were needed, including to the building's piping and wiring.
The Lazy Loggerhead closed in August 2022 after 25 years of serving waffles, pancakes, burgers and BLTs to beachgoers at Carlin Park. It was a favorite of those who lived between the Jupiter Inlet and the Juno Beach Pier.
The original Dune Dog opened in 1994 on Alternate A1A in Jupiter, and the restaurant now also has locations in Stuart and Cocoa Beach. It is known for its combo platters, fish sandwiches, seafood dinners and hot dogs. Its best-selling menu item is a foot-long Junkyard Dog topped with chili, cheese, diced onions and tomato sauce.
The Carlin Park location was intended to be known as Dune Dog’s "Beach Shack,” serving breakfast and lunch and closing at sunset.
Korbelak said the Parks and Recreation Department is temporarily permitting food trucks to serve patrons at Carlin Park until a permanent concession vender is selected. It is anticipated that the county will seek new applicants within the next few months, he said.
Julius Whigham II covers northern Palm Beach County and public safety for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
