Starting Sunday, Kroger stores in the Mid-Atlantic region, including Roanoke Valley locations, will accept donations for victims of the tornados this week in Eastern Virginia.
You can contribute money through the coin boxes in each Kroger check-out lane and at the grocer's self-checkout kiosks. The donations will go to the American Red Cross for the tornado victims.
Here are some pictures from the scene so far this morning at Chick-fil-A. About 40 people already were camped out in the parking lot of the new fast food eatery on Southern Hills Drive by 8 a.m. this morning.
Chick-fil-A's new standalone restaurant opens in Roanoke on Thursday, but people were invited to wait in line as early as 6 a.m. this morning to be the first 100 in line by opening time. The first 100 there by the time the restaurant opens its doors will receive 52 free coupons for combo meals. There also will be food giveaways throughout the day and evening.
I caught up with people this morning who have been to at least eight other Chick-fil-A openings like this. Melinda Crafton, who drove from Richmond with a carpool of other Chick-fil-A fans, said she still has 80 coupons left from two Chick-fil-A openings in Warrenton and Chesapeake. She's a fan of Chick-fil-A for its fried chicken sandwiches and because it's closed on Sundays.
At 8:20 a.m., a group of eight James Madison University students piled out of a mini van, carrying tents and sleeping bags. They drove from Harrisonburg this morning.
"We all had an opening in our schedules, and it's exam week," said Lilam Smith, a JMU student from Philadelphia.
A Krystal fast food restaurant that arrived in Salem in early 2007 with much fanfare appears to have shut down. There are signs on the outside of the eatery’s building and on the tall sign in front of its location on Wildwood Road, stating that it is closed.
The reason for its abrupt closing is unknown, and hopefully, more details will emerge.
Rich Pappas of Radford owns this Krystal franchise. It took him several years to bring the concept to this area after he announced its opening in 2005. He told me then that he had run into some financial roadblocks with securing the property on which to build the restaurant.
Krystal Co. is known for its square hamburgers, and it is based in Chattanooga, Tenn.
AJ’s will take the spot of Steve’s Famous Hot Dogs on Brandon Avenue after this long-time hot dog restaurant closes on Wednesday. The owner of Steve’s, Andrew Eunice, is retiring from the Roanoke hot dog restaurant that was founded in 1973 in Salem.
Cari and Joe Roragen bought the business, and this Thursday, they’ll open its doors with a similar menu. Just don’t expect to order Steve’s well-known chili. The Roragens purchased the business, but they don’t have the rights to everything, including the Steve’s name and its chili recipe.
Cari Roragen told me today that they’ll serve Steve’s menu of hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken and fish sandwiches and other lunch and dinner fare. By this summer, they hope to incorporate some new tastes with a to-go breakfast menu, appealing largely to customers who use the drive-through. They’ll also add some lighter foods for lunch and dinner, such as wraps and salads.
Joe Roragen, who will be in the charge of the daily operation, brings some restaurant management experience to AJ’s, which the couple named after their two children, Annaliese and Jacob. He’s most recently been a manager at Texas Roadhouse in Christiansburg, and he also has worked at Outback Steakhouse.
Cari Roragen said it was time to put her husband’s skills “ into something that was ours.”
I have a news tidbit about Keagy Village, a retail center under construction in Southwest Roanoke County that’s far behind schedule. In addition to Bonefish Grill and Scottrade, the center is getting an nTelos store.
A spokesman for nTelos, a wireless service provider, told me this week that the Waynesboro-based company is landing a store at this retail center at the corner of Keagy and Electric roads.
There's still no word on an anchor store for Keagy Village. Also, I've reported that Starbucks has axed its plans to land at the center.
NTelos is coming to another retail center that’s in the works in the Bonsack area of Roanoke County. Kroger is landing its largest area store at this center, named Kroger Square at Bonsack.
Some other shops will be headed there as well. Find out which ones are coming in my retail column in this Sunday’s Business section.
Happy Friday!
This story in USA Today gives more examples of retailers that are luring consumers with incentives to spend their federal tax rebate checks.
I've blogged about a few of these examples, but some others in this story are Home Depot and Staples.
Also, another story discusses how the travel industry is rolling out different promotions in time for the mailing of the rebate checks on May 2. With many people planning summer vacations right now, using tax rebate money for extra funding sure is tempting!
Hot dog lovers won’t like this news.
Steve’s Famous Hot Dogs will close at the end of this month. Owner Andrew Eunice, 84, is retiring from this well-known hot dog business on Brandon Avenue in Roanoke. Recently he sold it, according to his nephew and founder of the hot dog chain, Steve Mullins.
Steve’s has been a local fixture since 1973, when Mullins opened the first location in Salem with his father, Harold Mullins. At one time, it had 17 locations. Eunice bought the eatery in 1987.
“We have sold 10 million hot dogs over the years,” Steve Mullins said. “That’s the least we’ve sold.”
A local couple has purchased the business but not its name and other signatures, such as its chili recipe. They’ll take over on May 1, Steve Mullins said.
Once I catch up with the new owners, I'll let you know about their plans.
You better watch out. Now is when retailers are beginning to entice you to spend your federal stimulus checks.
Planning to spend all of your check on groceries? Kroger is encouraging consumers to shift their stimulus checks onto its gift cards. Beginning on May 2, when the first checks are sent, if you load your money onto a Kroger gift card, the grocer says it will add some value to it.
For example, loading a $300 check will total $330 on a Kroger card. Putting $1,200 on the card will give you four $330 cards for a total of $1,320, according to Kroger. This will last until July 31.
The push isn’t only happening at retailers. This morning, a radio station that was raising money for its operation encouraged people to pledge a certain portion of their stimulus checks to the cause.
Have you heard of other promotions like this?
Just in time for Earth Day today, one of the last major grocery chains in the Roanoke Valley to sell reusable bags has rolled out its own versions in stores.
To the left is Food Lion’s new eco-friendly bag. Each sells for 89 cents, slightly less than 99 cent versions at other grocers.
Also related to Earth Day, click here to find out which local grocery stores are participating in a Go Organic campaign.
At these stores and online, you can receive coupon books for about $18 in savings on organic foods. The coupons are good until August. The local stores participating are Kroger and Ukrop’s. Perhaps these coupons will provide a little relief in your budget for buying organic foods, because generally these items are pricier.
Some news about The Fresh Market came across my desk recently. The Greensboro, N.C. based specialty grocer may open the company up to outside investors. That means the privately held Fresh Market could go public or be sold entirely.
It’s unclear how a decision like this could impact the future of the chain, which opened its Roanoke store in 2005.
Here’s a recent story about the decision.
