May 16, 2008New deli with a mystery location
Roanoke could be getting a new deli late this summer, but so far sources are mum on where the Southern-based McAlister's Deli chain wants to put their newest restaurant. The Roanoke Times received an e-mail yesterday from Juli Carroll, a representative of Design Team Sign Company of Savanna, Georgia. Carroll is looking for old photographs of Roanoke with which to decorate the walls of the new deli. I e-mailed her about the location and opening date and she wrote: "We don't know exactly where it is going to be but I think it will be late summer." Retail business reporter Jenny Boone is working on getting more details from the McAlister's peeps. Look for those on her blog, The Storefront, or in her retail column in the Sunday newspaper. According to their Web site, McAlister's Deli opened its first location in Oxford, Miss. in 1989. If we do get a McAlister's here, expect to walk in and be greeted by a big chalkboard menu filled with sandwiches, potatoes, salads, soups and sweets. Customers order at the counter and then find a seat at a table, where the food is delivered by an employee. Nona, who guest blogged for me earlier this week, has eaten at McAlister's and says the soups are great and the sandwiches are big. She also said they had a really good-looking dessert case, but she never indulged because she only ate there for lunch. This sounds like a spot I'll have to try out if they do open in Roanoke. I love stuffed baked potatoes and well-made soups, especially in the winter. If you have ever eaten at a McAlister's Deli, let us know what you thought of it. Photo from www.mcalistersdeli.com. |
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Comments
[May 16, 2008 12:42 PM]
MichelleI used to work right across the street from McAlisters in Winston-Salem and I remember they had a wonderful Tortilla Soup I loved to get on my lunch break. They always have really great music playing outside, too! A very fun place to eat!
[May 16, 2008 12:48 PM]
JulieMy family used to regularly eat at a McAlister's in Charlotte. Good portions, good service, short wait times and even kid-friendly. Sandwiches and soups were fresh, tasty, and filling. If you leave there hungry, it's your own fault! Coincidentally, it was in the same shopping center as a Mellow Mushroom that was mentioned in the Charlottesville blog - a very good pizza and a great selection of craft- and micro-brews.
[May 16, 2008 1:19 PM]
SherryI often ate at McAllister's when it arrived in Springfield, MO. It's very tasty. Salads, sandwiches, baked potatoes. Very good iced tea and lemonade. It became a very popular lunch spot.
[May 16, 2008 2:50 PM]
KimI have eaten at McAllisters several times. They have a good selection of items to choose from. In fact, the first few times I went it was sort of overwhelming trying to choose! I've never had their loaded baked potato but I've seen it and it is HUGE. The potato salad that comes as one of the side item choices is really good in my opinion. As for the tea, it's good but I don't see where it is better than most other restaurants. The prices are slightly high, especially now that everyone is watching their budgets, but the portions are consistent with the price.
[May 16, 2008 3:39 PM]
Amy Hanek : →http://www.houseonthegladehill.blogspot.comSomeone that used to work for my husband opened one in Fort Myers in '06. We went there in the beginning, once. We liked it. The food was good and refills were offered to us while we ate (even though it was a counter-service restaurant). I remember the food was good - but it wasn't anything I HAD to have. They do have good tea though.
[May 16, 2008 4:07 PM]
Jonathan BrownWhen I lived in Richmond I loved eaing at McAllisters Deli. Great food and service. You described in the entry exactly what the experience is. Glad to see them coming here. I know they just opened one in Harrisonburg very recently. I happened to stumble on it late last week. Located just behind the Convocation Center. It is probably less than a month old. Their setup and my experience there was the same as before in Richmnd. Have a good weekend.
[May 17, 2008 2:48 PM]
joshI have eaten twice at a McAllisters in Missouri...both times the food was horrendous, overpriced and the wait times were not "as advertised" being "lunch break" friendly. If this comes to Roanoke, don't bother..there are plenty of places already here that are far superior.
[May 17, 2008 3:39 PM]
deanGreat news, I had emailed them before about how Roanoke would be a great location for one.
[May 17, 2008 4:42 PM]
MarionCan you provide some info I need? GMA had their Good Housekeeping person on the air and she said they'd tested different methods of storing celery to keep it fresh, and wrapping it in aluminum foil worked best. All I could think was: Never mind the celery, how in the world do we keep those colorful and expensive red, yellow and orange sweet peppers from immediately turning soft and wrinkly? Heck, they cost a fortune and are great on salads, or stuffed. Kroger features the small ones, which I buy for salads mostly. Let me know if there's a secret I'm missing.
[May 19, 2008 10:06 AM]
Lindsey : →http://blogs.roanoke.com/fridgemagnet/Well, what do you know, Dean? Your wish may be coming true. Josh, maybe the Roanoke location will be better than the ones you tried. We can always hope, I guess. Marion, I buy the small sweet peppers at Kroger too. I just got some yesterday and used a couple in my dinner. I am not sure how best to store peppers. They typically don't last long in my household. Let me see what I can find out.
[May 19, 2008 6:00 PM]
Nikki : →http://niksnacks.blogspot.comI used to work at the same place as Michelle in Winston-Salem and yeah, the tortilla soup is my ABSOLUTE favorite. There's even a dinner menu now with meatloaf, chicken cordon bleu, roasted chicken, and INCREDIBLE gravy. Oh, boy...