Category Archives: Foodservice

Columbus To Get New Places To Go To For Fresh Burgers And Trucker Service

Courtesy of The Dispatch

BURGER TIME!

Wythe Rhett of Rhett Real Estate recently confirmed that Cook Out, the North Carolina-based burger chain that set up a successful location in Starkville about a year ago, plans to open a location in North Columbus. Cook Out recently finalized the purchase of the old Immanuel Baptist Church property on 18th Ave N, which had not been in use in the past two years.  Their current intention is to “demolish the (church) building and carve out enough of the property to put Cook Out on, then look at the possibility of adding another motel or strip (mall).”

Cook Out eateries are known for grilled burgers, barbecue and more than 40 kinds of milkshakes. The Starkville location employs approximately 50 and is open 10:30 a.m.-3 a.m. Sunday-Thursday and 10:30 a.m.-4 a.m. Friday-Saturday. This would be the fourth Cook Out location in the state, joining its over 170 brethren nationwide.

TRUCKERS’ HEAVEN!

The Volume Freight shipping company, owned by Doug Estes, is currently building a new steel structure on Hwy 82 near the Vibrant Church West location. The finished building will serve as a two-floor terminal with a three-vehicle bay shop to maintain Volume’s fleet of 65 trucks. Next up once that’s ready is a planned 150-thousand square foot warehouse and approximately 35 new trucks. The company employs about 80 drivers, who service the contiguous 48 states, plus about eight local mechanics; roughly half of the trucks  are based locally, as well. Volume Freight, a local company, has been in business since 1988.

 

 

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West Point’s Hwy 45 Corridor Thriving

West Point’s Hwy 45 Corridor Thriving

WEST POINT, Miss. (Courtesy of WTVA)

Ever since Yokohama opened for business on the North side of town in 2015, the area’s South side along Hwy 45 has been booming, reports Lisa Klutts, the director of The Community Development Growth Alliance. She says that more business openings are on the way: “Burger King opened just under a year ago, Express Lube opened just recently and Love’s truck stop with Arby’s will be opening in May.”

The Growth Alliance said  that Burger King on Highway 45 surmounted national record sales on its opening day. “It seems like a pretty good business move to me, if they’re in it to make money,” said driver David Nelson.

The Growth Alliance said they watch trends to see if businesses are expanding in the state. “We would like to see more shoe stores or clothing stores,” said Klutts. There are currently no public plans to bring such stores to the area (yet), but, at the city grows and the Golden Triangle becomes more and more attractive to big business, who knows what the future may hold…?

All we know is, that’s good for the Golden Triangle, and that’s Good for Business!

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Starkville Farmers Market is Back

Starkville Farmers Market is Back

STARKVILLE – Courtesy of The Dispatch

Prather (courtesy starkville.org)

Starkville Community Market will be open this Tuesday from 4-6 p.m. at Fire Station No. 1 Park.

SCM manager and Greater Starkville Development Partnership special events coordinator Jennifer Prather reports that roughly eight to ten vendors are expected to sell early spring produce and other goods at the event; more growers and producers are expected to join when the market’s Saturday offerings begin May 6. “We’ve spoken to new vendors outside of Starkville about new offerings, like baked goods and goat’s cheese and milk. We’re looking to increase the variety,” she said.

The Market will be held at Fire Station No. 1’s greenspace, located at the intersection of Lampkin and Russell streets.

Prather went on to say, “We’re working with Starkville Utilities to help grow the capacity for electricity there. Many vendors require refrigeration for their products, so that’s a priority for us moving forward. We’re also working on a project to install new benches and garbage cans, and overall looking into other ways to better develop the area in a community friendly way . . . We’re really enjoying the location. The aesthetics make a huge difference because the area is friendly to vendors and shoppers.”

Please click here for the full article.

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Bargain Hunt, Vapezy Open; LA Shrimp Shack Shutters its Doors

THE DISPATCH

In mid-February The Dispatch brought us the news that Bargain Hunt would be opening in Columbus in the former Southern Family Market location next to K-Mart. The store is now preparing for a grand opening to be held on March 17. Their new Columbus location is in addition to their existing one in Starkville, and more than sixty others nationwide.

The store’s hours will be 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sundays. It will bring 25 new jobs to the area.

Highway 45 gained another new attraction in the form of Vapezy, a premium e-liquid and supply store located at 1909-B Hwy. 45 N.  Billy and Andrea Ezell opened Vapezy in September of last year.  The couple are originally from Webster County, where they became friends through the medium of vaping, that is, the enjoyment of vapor-producing electronic cigarettes.

“We want to present a greater sense of community than other shops,” Ezell said regarding the store’s future. “That’s what the vape scene is really about.”

While currently operating out of the store’s front section, there are plans to add a lounge into the 1,800 square-foot building. The store carries eight different lines of e-liquid and plans to expand to carry numerous vaping devices, from starter to advanced level, alongside additional e-liquids.  Vapezy is open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

Finally, the Louisiana Shrimp Shack quietly closed its doors on Feb. 21.  The Shrimp Shack originally opened Sept. 8, 2016, with Kenny Whitey, a fisherman from New Orleans, as owner. It was located at 1909-A Hwy. 45 N. and enjoyed much praise from locals for its fresh from the gulf seafood and “straight-outta-the-bayou” home-cooking.  Whitey said the travel to and from the shack was too much for the family to maintain.

http://cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=56789

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New Businesses Coming to Columbus, New Hope, Starkville

New Businesses Coming to Columbus, New Hope, Starkville

Courtesy of THE DISPATCH

Caleb Sherman of The Dispatch

New businesses are in the process of opening up shop for the convenience of customers!

In Columbus, Bargain Hunt is moving into the old Southern Family location next to K-Mart on 45

In New Hope, Starkville’s Smartphone Doctor will be adding a new location in the Lehmberg Crossing shopping center on Alabama St.

Starkville’s Main Street will be getting “Pop Porium,” a gourmet popcorn, sno-ball, and soda fountain featuring homemade syrup flavors. They hope to have a hundred varieties of popcorn available for sale by the end of the year, based on customer feedback; they plan to open soon with fifty.

Read the full article here: http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=56294

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Developer has Plans to Restore Historic Turn of the Century Hotels to their Original Look

Developer has Plans to Restore Historic Turn of the Century Hotels to their Original Look

On the corner of 5th Street South and 3rd Avenue South in Columbus lie a couple of hotels which once served the area well back in the early 1900’s. They have become other businesses over the past century, and have been owned by the Mackay family during most of that time. Recently, the Mackays, proprietors of Party and Paper, sold the properties to developers Tommy Howard and Chris Chain. The new owners have announced their plans to restore the former hotels to their turn-of-the-century glory. They’ve got their work cut out for them, but it is their hope that they will be able to pull it off, bringing back a long-forgotten piece of Columbus’ history to downtown. With luck, this will help to beautify the area even further, and bring in more tourists and fans of historical buildings to the area. And that’s Good for Business!

Courtesy of The Dispatch – COLUMBUS

At the end of the strip of downtown buildings on the west side of the 200 block of Fifth Street South are two buildings more than 100 years old. The buildings used to be the New Stone Hotel and the Arcade Hotel in the early 1900s, and also played host to retail spaces and apartments. The new owners, developers Tommy Howard and Chris Chain, would like to bring all of that back.

Susan Mackay of Party and Paper (photo courtesy The Dispatch)

Susan Mackay of Party and Paper (photo courtesy The Dispatch)

Susan Mackay said she and her brother Wayne Price sold the buildings because they felt the two developers would restore the buildings to their more original, early twentieth-century look. “I’m so pleased to have some people that are going to come in that have a beautiful vision to renovate the buildings and just make it a real showplace for Columbus and the state of Mississippi,” Susan said. “I’m just really excited for all the possibilities.”

Preparation for the renovations is already under way, which means cleanup on a large, but cautious, scale. Bathrooms in the buildings that haven’t been used since the ’60s still have claw-foot tubs, and crews found a torn, yellowed Commercial Dispatch newspaper featuring President Harry Truman on the front page in one of the old apartments. An old New Stone Hotel sign was found in the upstairs wall. It now leans against the wall of the old hotel lobby where you can still see railings around where the grand staircase once stood.

The developers plan to make a boutique hotel from a good portion of the usable space, once all is said and done; they also plan to use some of the space for apartments, and possibly some for retail space, such as a new restaurant, as well. “You’ve got to have vision,” Howard said. “If you saw this building, you’d have been like, ‘Really?’ … But you’ve got to see their potential.”

The renovations are expected to take many months to a year; Party and Paper will stay there for the time being, renting out space from the new owners.

Chain is the owner of Renovations of Mississippi Inc., which he started in 1996. A Columbus native, he said his interest in historical buildings was piqued in the ’70s when he worked as a tour guide in Columbus’s old homes. Now he owns eight downtown buildings in addition to the ones Mackay and Price sold him and has renovated buildings all over the state.

“This is a passion,” he said. “…Rebuilding Mississippi’s heritage.”

 

For more info and the full article, click here: http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=54327

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Good Eats in Starkville to Help You Face the Day

wcbi-logo-wblack-box-smallCommodore Bob’s in Starkville does a thriving business dishing up fantastic grub at lunch and dinner, as well as a Sunday brunch for all comers. They serve plenty of locals, students, and tourists, so you’d better get there early or you might not find a seat! They and other restaurants help to keep Starkville fed and happy, and that’s Good for Business!

Today, their head chef demonstrates how to make an indulgent “grown-up’s ham & cheese sandwich” – the classic Croque Monsieur.

Commodore Bob’s Yacht Club is located at 102 Rue du Grand Fromage, Suites C & D, Starkville, MS 39759   –   (662) 268-8326

http://www.commodorebobs.com/

Courtesy of WCBI – Click the link below to view video:

http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/6645124

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Tax Incentive Back on the Agenda for Wal-Mart in Northern Starkville

Tax Incentive Back on the Docket for Wal-Mart in Northern Starkville

A proposal to add a tax increment, which was shot down several months ago, will be back on the Agenda for the Starkville Board of Aldermen in a couple of weeks. The intention is to provide money to help set up proper infrastructure and other construction-related costs to allow a new Wal-Mart to be built on the North side of Starkville, which has gone without a convenient option for grocery shopping for decades. A number of elderly residents seem to welcome the idea of a new store, even if it means higher taxes – and, if it works, it could help to bring in other stores, as well…And That’s Good for Business!

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – starkville-story-wcbi-wm

A proposed Neighborhood Walmart store in Starkville will be back on the board of aldermen’s agenda when they meet again. If they approve the project, there would be a $1.3 million dollar tax increment to finance it.

A twenty-minute trip to the grocery store may not seem long, but resident June Carpenter says it is for most elderly. For 50 years, Carpenter has lived in Starkville, and has spent most of her time living on the northeastern side, where there hasn’t been a near by grocery for decades. She stated, “Really, I don’t like the idea of paying the TIF, but the problem is the city leaders have paid the TIF to have businesses on the west side of town, so now it’s time for them to equal it out, and pay the TIF to have stores on our side of town.”

Alderwoman Lisa Wynn says the town needs Walmart, more than Walmart needs Starkville. That’s why the city needs to prepare to provide some tax incentives: “The soil is not of good quality, it would have to be removed. We’re talking about construction of a street. The sewer would have to be developed in that area. Smaller businesses wouldn’t be able to afford that, and even if a developer were to come in and want to do it, I can assure you he will be asking us for TIF also.”

The project will be brought up again for discussion on November 15th.

Click here for more info and the full article: http://www.wcbi.com/video-residents-weigh-neighborhood-market/

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MSU Student Volunteers Come Together to Help Feed Those in Need

MSU Student Volunteers Come Together to Help Feed Those in Need

STARKVILLE, MS (Sourced from Starkville Daily News, WCBI) –

ms stateRoughly a hundred MSU student volunteers recently joined forces to pack and ship five thousand meals to be sent out to hungry families in Mississippi and beyond, as part of a project to help raise awareness of food insecurity.The Oxfam Hunger Banquet model was used for their pre-work meal, where students were divided up into several groups meant to proportionally represent various “income levels” and what families at those levels might find themselves eating. The smallest group by far – those randomly chosen as the “high income” group, sat down at the tables for a multi-course meal with real plates and silverware; the largest two groups – the “low income” ones, sat on the floor with paper plates, plastic forks, a mound of mashed potatoes – and precious little else. Students reportedly ate relatively little, many of them never having previously known just how bad many families in need really have it.

Click the links below for the full articles and more info:

http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/content/msu-raises-awareness-food-insecurity-miss-beyond

http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=53727

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Local Boy Done Wood — News in the World of Food

20150424085747-58f2ab97Info courtesy of the Dispatch

Main Street to Get a New Kind of Furniture Store

Mississippi Steel Processing’s president, Chip Gerber, has been waiting a long time to open up a shop that showcases his passion. On Thursday, September 29th, he will get his wish. that will be the first operating day of his new shop, The Steel Forest Furniture Company at 515 Main Street. Gerber has been making hand-crafted furniture as a hobby out of Mississippi wood and steel for years, and now he’s had the opportunity to increase production of his custom pieces, and share them with his eager customers. Please come on out to show your support for this new type of store, run by a local hobbyist-turned-artisan!

 Under New Management: Cattleman’s Steak and Fish

One of Columbus’ best-known restaurants will re-open at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 29th. They are  located at 301 Tuscaloosa Road, and they will now be offering an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet, in addition to their other fare. They will be open from 4:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, and from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday with a lunch buffet.

 Avast, Matey! Krispy Kreme Shares the sweet Booty!

Monday was International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and Krispy Kreme has continued its popular tradition of giving out free donuts to patrons who come in dressed as pirates, or who were at least talking like them, on that day. Store Manager Jessica Carpenter reports that they gave away more than 6,300 donuts to gleeful participants this year.

For more info, you can read the full article at the Dispatch: http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=53022

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