Loosen up.
Toss the shells on the floor.
On Aug. 8, Logan”s Roadhouse officially invites the Columbus area to toss a few peanut hulls on the floor.
At least a dozen of the restaurant”s 130 newly hired workers were at the 18th Avenue North location on Thursday afternoon, gearing up for the big day.
As neon paint sat to dry on an oversized barrel, with the stenciled words, “Caution: Peanuts on the floor” and “Loud music playing,” supervisors ran orientation classes, with music playing softly in the background.
Community members are excited about the grand opening, which will start with lunch.
“It”s a good thing in Columbus — something new, something you”d love to go try,” said Terrance “T.C.” Colister, 25, of Columbus.
“I”m glad that it”s coming,” said Sherika Austin, 33, of Crawford. “It”s something different.”
Nashville-based Logan”s bills itself as “The Real American Roadhouse,” where people can “be themselves” and enjoy “bottomless buckets of in-shell peanuts.”
The 6,500-square-foot restaurant seats up to 237 and features an interactive jukebox and neon signs.
“Our team searches the country for the best restaurant sites, and we”re excited about opening … in the Columbus area,” Tom Vogel, president and CEO of Logan”s, said in a press release. “We see a lot of opportunity in the neighborhood.”
Logan”s neighbors the new Fairfield Inn and future home of the Courtyard by Marriott. The new Castle Properties development attracted the restaurant to the area.
Jennifer Purtell, 32, of Columbus already is a regular at Logan”s in Tupelo.
“We”re happy it”s coming,” Purtell said. “We eat there, in Tupelo, all the time.”
Next, Purtell and Colister would like to see an IHOP in Columbus.
Austin is hoping for an Olive Garden.
Representatives for both restaurants have been in Columbus, looking at various locations, including the Castle Properties development.
Olive Garden also has looked at the possibility of located on Highway 45 North, next to Belk department store.
Neither have finalized any plans to locate in Columbus.
Much-anticipated T.J. Maxx, which features designer clothes, accessories and salon and spa products, will have its grand opening in Columbus on Aug. 7, beginning at 8 a.m. The new store is located in the Old Navy shopping center, on old Aberdeen Road, next to the Leigh Mall.
PetSmart, located in the same shopping center, will open for business on Oct. 29.
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