(UPDATED) Cracker Barrel might be coming to South Peak (formerly known as Slate Hill)
Cracker Barrel restaurant could be the first commercial draw to the South Peak development, formerly Slate Hil, in south Roanoke County. Roanoke Times file photo
Update posted Aug. 20
Here’s the link to Cody’s story about South Peak, published in Saturday’s Roanoke Times.
End update
My colleague Cody Lowe has breaking news on roanoke.com today about the possibility of a Cracker Barrel and a Hilton Garden Inn going in at South Peak, the 8-year-old project formerly known as Slate Hill.
The restaurant and hotel would be in addition to condos and offices planned for the site.
I know that Cody is working on a more detailed story for Saturday’s newspaper. I’ll post a link to that story here.
Here is some history on the project, located at the intersection of Virginia 419 and U.S. 220:
- The project became controversial in 2004 with developer Jim Smith cleared the highly visible hilltop of trees. There was further outcry about the high brick retaining walls at the base of the hill.
- Smith later blamed the Virginia Department of Transportation and Roanoke County for being difficult to work with, delaying his plans to build condos, office buildings and attract restaurants. The recession in 2008 further stalled his plans.
- Last year, the county agreed to create the South Peak Community Development Authority, a quasi-governmental body with the power to issue up to $16 million worth of tax-exempt bonds. The bonds are being used to help build roads, put in curbs and gutters, create storm water management systems and erect a parking garage. The developer, not the county, is responsible for repaying bondholders.
August 19, 2011 - 1:20 PM
Very cool
How imaginative – a Cracker Barrel. All those tax incentives just to ensure a chain restaurant can serve frozen and processed foods to customers in knee high tube socks. Way to go Roanoke.
Well, I suppose it’s good that finally something will be going in that space, although I wish it were something other than a silly Cracker Barrell. Given the location a nicer restaurant would have done well there.
Somehow it seems perfect that a Cracker Barrel will become the South Hill monument to environmental disaster. Now the mallwalkers at Tanglewood won’t have to drive all the way to Hollins to get their fix. That’s some forward thinking, right there.
I will believe it when I see it. Jim Smith does not have a very good track record when it comes to things happening like he says they are going to.
@Larry, by the lines waiting at any Cracker Barrel there are a lot of people do not share your opinion. Cracker Barrel would be a big tax boost to Roanoke County. (I wonder if the county will have a problem with the height of the sign, the reason there is a Cracker Barrel in Troutville instead of Hollins.)
I love Cracker Barrel! I think the Tanglewood one would be a little closer to me than the Troutville location (I’m not far from Valley View), so that would be more convenient. I also take dance lessons near Tanglewood so perhaps I could go before or after class
I know not everyone likes CB but there are a lot of people who do, like myself, who absolutely love the food, service, and the cute little store! My friend has an obsession over their biscuits 
Honky Bucket on the Hill
Jack and Jill went up the hill
to get a a chicken fried steak
Jill fell down
Jack’s back to town
to get himself a tax break.
what chu got against tube socks larry?
It’s weirdly appropriate to the absolute fiasco that project is. Why not throw a whole truck stop in there and be done with it.
What a disappointment. Thought we could do better than a Cracker Barrel. Sure people will go, but come on. Get a PF Changs, Unos or Cheesecake Factory. This does nothing for me.
Cracker Barrel will be great. Tried to get into the one at Daleville Lately? If it hadn’t been for Roanoke County’s silly sign ordinances, there would’ve been one on this side of town years ago. Anyway, the development has already been started, glad to see some progress on businesses moving into it. Roanoke is such a peculiar, negative place. Anything new is shouted down, I can understand why so many young people want to get out of here as fast as they can.
Definitely the “upscale” and “high-end” feel that the developer described when he be started.
Nobody with any sense would ever build on this unstable monstrosity. Jim Smith is fishing for publicity and the RT happily obliged.
It is a little odd that Cracker Barrel
would choose this site.. They have historically
chosen areas right off Interstate highways.
Maybe they are changing their target demographic.
The only one ive seen (though admittedly not all that many)
thats not off an interstate is here in DFW near Six Flags.
But the Pork Chops, Eggs , and Biscuits there?? Give me them knee
socks…Im on my way!
I see nothing wrong with Cracker Barrel going in that location. It is family friendly and most can find something on their menu that they enjoy. I know I do, and have driven to Troutville many times just to eat there! As long as the entrance/exit are without danger, I say go for it!
@Tommy. Because a Cracker Barrel will bring the younger crowd in. Ha!
Amanda..i’ve also heard rumorings of an Olive Garden and Bonefish grill going into the parking lot at Tanglewood…any idea if this is true?
Joe – 220 is a busy highway! I hope this is true as well….I love Cracker Barrel
Cracker Barrel?
What happened? Did Dennys turn him down too? It wasn’t long ago he actually mentioned Nordstroms locating on top of that environmental abomination.
Talk about adding insult to injury.
@mygirl: I haven’t heard that, but I am happy to look into it.
At least Randy is putting something on the hill. Just glad it’s a family orientated place. Roanoke/Roanoke County will start seeing some revenues, and we on the southwest side of Roanoke, me in Franklin Cty, will have another choice. But I have to go buy a pair of knee socks
Our family loves to eat at Cracker Barrels. They’ve got great food at inexpensive prices, and the gift shops at each of them make for great shopping. It’ll be real nice to not have to go all the way out to the one in Troutville. I don’t imagine the many other restaurants in that area are going to like this plan though.
Roanoke does not and can not bring high end resturants into the Valley. Roanoke will never change, and therefore will never grow. Cheesecake Factory, PF Changs,etc would be a great addtion to the city/county. Why give all the revenue to larger cities such as Greensboro, Richmond, and Northern Virgina when you have a population of people who would like to visit upscale locations without driving two or more hours to enjoy. I like Cracker Barrel but really do we need something we already have in the area, or something that will attract new business, that could possibly bring other new business and revenue into the city and county. Then, maybe I can finally say, I am from Roanoke, and will not hear oh, there is nothing to do there why would you want to live there.
We need a Melting Pot!
Flo,there could be 15 Cracker Barrels in town and it wouldn’t make a difference to a lot of people. I doubt Lucky’s going to lose business to Cracker Barrel.
I would almost rather have no restaurant than a Cracker Barrel at the location. Ideally, the restaurant will fail because the country people will refuse to venture into that area of the county thus providing no patrons for the restaurant. We’ll simply have to continue dreaming of some day getting a P.F. Changs or Cheesecake Factory…
Bonefish and Olive Garden would be a great addition to Tanglewood. People in Roanoke love to eat and Tanglewood needs something to draw people to the mall. Bonefish was suppose to come to Keagy Villiage but pulled out in 2007. Hope we can lure them back into the area. They have great food!! Anyone know what is happening with Keagy village and why it remains empty for the last 4 years?? Boy if CBL management owed Tanglewood and these other empty shopping centers ON THE 419 side of town we would be bustling like Valley View. Now think about that!!!
Amanda, I’ll be the first to admit that Cracker Barrel is so aptly named it’s downright comical, but do we really need a post like Elementary Watson’s? I think I kept my comments about Popeye’s fairly neutral, so let’s not play into the “enlightened” belief that racism is okay as long as it’s only directed at the oppressive majority.
…oookay, I guess we ARE going with that belief. I’ll keep my new nickname until that post is gone.
I for one would be happy to see a Cracker Barrel come to SW County. As far ast the upscale restaurants go, they would be nice but in today’s world how many of us can afford them? I think that ny adding them in the area is asking for them to fail. Other companies will them look at the success rate in this area for new businesses and decide against coming here. My family recently ate at the CB in Christiansburg and it was about $10 a person.. Not bad for the food. This one time the service sucked, but the food was good… Gotta run… Heading out to buy me some tube socks!!!! Have a great day!!
Great, another chain restaurant,with tacky signage and unimaginative food. Just what we needed in SW county. Soon, it will look like the interchange in Troutville!
CB on the hill bad idea, I really think they need to come up with better traffic pattern, how is traffic coming off the hill by Wendy’s going to merge into busy electric road, how will traffic coming from the hill by Lowes merging onto 220 North or South after 12pm it is already congested.. Is the parking garage on that hill going to be underground or above ground? either way it is really scary.
I think somebody needs to check that hill to see if any changes happened with yesterday’s earthquake. With several buildings on it, any tiny shift in that hill could be disastrous.
For Redbaron: There are already traffic signals in place at both entrances/exits you’re mentioning. That’s not to say they’re the most effective!
Roanoke has never been on the cutting edge of traffic management as can be observed in numerous places about town.
What I’d really love to see is VDOT getting serious about traffic flow/management. Can you imagine traffic lights that change when there is no traffic in a particular direction? The technology isn’t new, it’s in use throughout the country in far more densely populated areas than Roanoke.
For H-P: I’d actually think the length of time this development has dragged on, would have a positive effect on the settling of the land.
I’m a little late in commenting here, but I think this location is actually pretty good, from Cracker Barrel’s point of view. A lot of people traveling south take 581 to 220, say, to go to Greensboro. As far as it being a good addition to the restaurant lineup for the folks that live here, that’s another story. I really just wish that the existing vacant buildings in Roanoke would be re-purposed instead of scraping clean a hillside to build there. Hell, the old Ukrops building could be a small mall with restaurants. I guess it would be hard to sell condos built in a converted grocery store, though….