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Some of you have inquired about updates on the progress of two Roanoke area Bojangles’ restaurants, after I blogged about a new Bojangles’ opening at Smith Mountain Lake. I caught up with with the franchise owner of two planned local Bojangles', who said that these restaurants still are in the works.

Stan Seymour, the local franchisee, said readying a site for a Peters Creek Road restaurant has taken longer than planned. He’s now planning for Bojangles’ to open near the intersection of Peters Creek and Airport roads in May or June. The site has required additional work because of its rocky terrain, he said. The restaurant is expected to measure about 3,500 square feet.

Also, Seymour expects another Bojangles’ in Southwest Roanoke County, slated for an area at Colonial and Brambleton avenues, to open by August. He has been busy finalizing structural plans at the site with VDOT. This restaurant will be about 3,900 square feet.

But Bojangles’ won’t take up this entire two acre property. Seymour said he plans to have room at this site for another business, such as a bank. Right now, though, he's focusing on getting Bojangles’ up and running.

We’ve recently discussed local $1 DVD rental kiosks, but the future isn’t looking so bright for some movie rental retailers.

After filing for bankruptcy in October, Movie Gallery announced last month that it will close 400 underperforming movie rental stores, in addition to a host of stores that is closed last year, under Movie Gallery and Hollywood Video names.

Locally the move will impact one store. That’s Movie Gallery in Salem at Spartan Square. It will close on March 19.

Movie Gallery said in a news release that these stores were unprofitable.
It will transfer customers’ accounts at the closed stores to nearby Movie Gallery or Hollywood Video locations.

But the number of Movie Gallery stores remaining in the Roanoke Valley and surrounding area is slim. In recent years, many have closed. There remains one in Troutville and another in Christiansburg.

Some local Hollywood Video stores are still in operation locally, including one at Towers Shopping Center in Roanoke and one on Brambleton Avenue in Roanoke County.

Chains like Movie Gallery, which bought Hollywood Video in 2005, have experienced increased competition from online movie rental enterprises, such as Netflix and Blockbuster, according to industry experts. Blockbuster has begun offering online rental services in addition to its brick and mortar stores.

I often go to a local rental store for movies. I haven't gotten into the Netflix craze.
But I'm interested in what you think about the benefits of renting movies online versus renting them at a store.

I’ve been battling a sinus infection for the last few days, but I’m back to blogging today with a little bit of news.

Puppies haven’t been moving off the shelves, or out of their cages, fast enough for a local store that sells pets and supplies.

Nature’s Emporium in Roanoke County is getting out of the puppy business. It sold its last puppy two weeks ago.

“Puppy sales were slow,” said store manager Summer Sowers.

The store mostly sold small breed dogs. Its departure from the puppy business doesn't mean that it will stop carrying other animals. It still has a selection of birds, reptiles, guinea pigs and rabbits. And kittens could be on the way, depending on what some local breeders offer for sale, Sowers said.

In the meantime, the store on Brambleton Avenue is trying to decide what it will do with the vacant space, to the side of the store, where the puppy cages were located.

A new health club is coming to the Roanoke Valley. Planet Fitness will open on the lower level of Towers Shopping Center in Roanoke. It’s taking the former space of Hancock Fabrics, according to Bill Asbell, who is a franchise owner for the Roanoke club. Hancock Fabrics closed last year after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Asbell said he expects the club to open by late June.

Planet Fitness, which started in New Hampshire, has at least 250 franchises nationwide, including two in Virginia, in Virginia Beach and Falls Church.

News of its opening comes on the heels of a second Gold’s Gym planned for the Roanoke Valley. Gold's set up a temporary location at Crossroads Mall last year, and it's expected to open this year at this shopping and office complex on Hershberger Road in Roanoke.

Stay tuned to this blog or my Sunday retail column for more details about Planet Fitness’ new Roanoke location.

It looks like another chain wants to expand its presence in the breakfast market. Panera Bread is rolling out a line-up of breakfast sandwiches at its restaurants, and its Roanoke Valley locations already are selling them. The nationwide launch is scheduled for April, according to the company.

This bakery and food company is joining an increasing number of fast food eateries, such as Wendy’s and McDonalds, and other restaurants that have added gourmet coffee and morning-related food choices to draw on a growing business for breakfast.

At Panera Bread, there are three different kinds of grilled breakfast sandwiches, including egg and cheese, sausage egg and cheese, and bacon, egg and cheese. Prices range from $3 to $4, depending on the location, said Andrew Carlson, a spokesman for the St. Louis-based chain.

Panera Bread already sells bagels, pastries and egg soufflés, along with coffee and other hot beverages. But it’s perhaps best known for its wide selection of sandwiches and soups for lunch and dinner.

Carlson said breakfast isn’t a new business for the chain, but there has been more demand for increased morning offerings.

“Hot breakfasts are something our guests have been interested in,” he said. “It’s a good natural extension of our brand.”

Read on to learn about some upcoming baking demonstrations at the Panera Bread in Roanoke County.

Read more »

In some reporting that I’ve been doing today about local restaurants that are considering whether to ban smoking, I ran across a listing of Roanoke area eateries that are smoke-free. Click here to see the lineup.

It was compiled by a non profit group called the Greater Roanoke Valley Asthma and Air Quality Coalition. Each year, the group invites restaurants in Roanoke, Roanoke County, Vinton and Salem to contact them if they have decided to eliminate smoking.

Mary Kane, who chairs the group, said the list isn’t comprehensive because it's hard to keep up with the ever changing number of restaurants that are becoming smoke-free. If you don’t see one here, there’s a spot on the page where you can add the restaurant's name.

Some local businesses distribute brochures with this listing, including the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center.

This month will bring a new dining option to downtown Roanoke’s Market Street. I’ve already reported that Horizon Bar & Grill would open inside the former location of Wertz’s Restaurant & Wine Bar at 215 Market St. The mother and son owners say they’ll open the doors on March 11.

Scott Lockhart and Debbie Spangler, who also own a catering company, plan to serve lunch and dinner entrees with a Southwestern twist. Expect their dinner menu to including various game meats, such as buffalo and venison. Prices will range from $22 to $28 for dinner entrees and $7 to $9 for lunch. They've also obtained an ABC license to serve alcohol.

They'll mostly take reservations for dinner, though there will be some space for walk-in patrons.This new eatery also will be smoke-free, which is a growing trend among restaurants in the Roanoke Valley, and particularly in downtown Roanoke.

It will open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday and for brunch on Sundays.