Restaurants serve up new jobs, menus

Oct 28, 2009 (The Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- BWLD | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Jackson County will experience at least a minor spurt of job growth in the coming months with the planned openings of two new restaurants.

Buffalo Wild Wings could be open sometime in December and White Castle is expected to open in March.

"It should be in the area of about 60 to 65," Ted Church said in reference to the number of employees he expects to hire at the new Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant.

Church, regional manager for the company, said although a "rock-solid" date is not yet in place, the hope is that the new restaurant, to be located in Seymour Plaza in the 2000 block of East Tipton Street, will open its doors for the first time in December.

Sandy Miller, assistant regional director for White Castle Systems in Indianapolis, said that company plans to employ 30 to 40 people when it opens its restaurant in Seymour Plaza as well.

Buffalo Wild Wings and White Castle aren't alone in picking Seymour to open new stores.

The city saw three pizza places open their doors this fall -- Mike's Pizza at Freeman Field, Little Caesar's on East Tipton Street and Royal Pizza near Chestnut and Second streets.

And Brooklyn Pizza Co. recently moved to larger, remodeled quarters on West Second Street.

They may not represent large numbers of high-paying factory jobs, but they are hoped to be a good economic sign.

"I hope that the fact that these restaurants, and their products, are generally seen as non-essential food items, is another indication of a recovering economy," Bill Bailey, president of the Greater Seymour Chamber of Commerce, said.

Bailey added the city's location continues to be a plus.

"It's great to have these two nationally recognized companies locating in our community," Bailey said. "I think it speaks very well for our location and having these new paychecks moving through the community is certainly welcome."

Miller said White Castle's contractor has 90 working days to complete the Seymour building, and she anticipates with the holidays and winter weather conditions that it will likely be March before the restaurant opens.

"We're very excited to be coming there," Miller said. "There are a lot of cravers in that neighborhood."

White Castle opted to build in Seymour because it's a good stopping point between Indianapolis and Louisville, Miller said, and because there are many communities in the south central part of the state, including Salem and Scottsburg, that don't have access to the restaurant's signature hamburgers, known as Sliders, and other menu items.

"We'll draw from all those towns as well as the interstate," Miller said.

Church said customers visiting the Seymour Buffalo Wild Wings should expect the same food they get when they visit other Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants such as the one he oversees in Columbus.

"It's a great concept," Church said. "There's really nothing like it anywhere."

The restaurant offers a menu of appetizers, salads, regular and boneless chicken wings with 14 different sauces to choose from, chicken tenders, wraps, sandwiches, ribs, burgers and desserts.

Catering to the adult crowd, the restaurant also offers a variety of alcoholic drinks, including beer and mixed drinks.

And then, of course, there are the walls covered with televisions turned to every kind of sporting event offered.

Because it is newer, the Seymour restaurant at 7,000 square feet is a little larger than the Columbus location and will be more stylish and up-to-date, Church said.

"It's going to be a pretty sharp store," Church said.

He also said the management team is in place and being trained now, and announcements about additional hirings will be released soon.

The company was founded in 1982 by Jim Disbrow and Scott Lowery. They opened their first Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant next to the Ohio University campus and celebrated their 26th anniversary last year. There are now more than 622 Buffalo Wild Wings across the country in 41 states, with plans to reach 1,000.

Miller said that White Castle won't be hiring people until two to three weeks before the new location opens.

"They'll undergo an intense one-week training period," she said. Once training is complete, a VIP night will be held on a Friday to give employees their first shot at waiting on the public. On that Saturday, immediate family members will be served a meal and receive a tour of the restaurant.

"And on Sunday, they'll open up," Miller said.

The Seymour White Castle will be the 42nd in the Indianapolis Region, which stretches from Terre Haute to New Castle, and from Marion to Bloomington. Seymour's restaurant will be the farthest south in the region when it opens. White Castles located south of Seymour are served by the Louisville Region.

Seymour Plaza is owned by Regency Properties, an Evansville-based company that develops and leases commercial properties.

We think it's a great fit," Gayla Gubler said of Buffalo Wild Wings' decision to open a restaurant in Seymour.

Gubler, Regency's leasing representative for the area, said in a press release that the company has owned and operated the shopping center for one year and has renovated the property's facade with new storefronts.

Regency also operates Jackson Park Shopping Center and Village Center in Seymour.

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