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.
The food is described as “hearty-sized deli fare, served quickly with a side of Southern charm.” They especially pride themselves on their secret recipe sweet tea.

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.