Published: May 03, 2008 10:52 pm         

Beckley businesses opening, building, moving, renovating

Hooters, Little Caesars Pizza and Walgreens are just a few of the business names in Beckley that are either preparing to open, preparing to move to a new location or renovating an old business into a new one.

J. Philip Cornett, owner of Cornett Hospitality LLC, which owns Hooters of Beckley, says the new location is opening during the 25th anniversary of Hooters.

“In 1983, six businessmen in Clearwater, Fla., opened the first Hooters,” he said. “Their simple formula of great food served in a fun atmosphere by All American Hooters Girls in orange shorts has proven more than successful. Since that humble beginning, Hooters has grown to be a world-famous brand with over 440 locations in 43 states and 25 countries.”

In celebration of its 25th anniversary, Hooters says it will be passing along some of its success directly to its customers with a $25,000 giveaway on the 25th of every month.

Hooters of Beckley will open to the public at 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 13.

“We will have about 130 employees at this location,” said Joe Landfried, general manager of Hooters of Beckley.

Hooters has continued to rank high among the industry’s growth leaders, Cornett added.

“Hooters has proven successful in small-town America, major metropolitan areas and internationally,” Cornett said. “We expect to be very successful in Beckley as well.”

Hooters’ casual beach-theme establishments feature “oldies” jukebox music, sports on television, and a menu that includes seafood, sandwiches, salads and spicy chicken wings. Hooters, system-wide, generates and averages 72 percent of its sales from food, 5 percent from merchandise and 28 percent from beer, wine and spirits.

“The Hooters of Beckley will have a full-service bar,” Cornett said.

Cornett says Hooters is a family-friendly establishment that is sometimes misunderstood and misrepresented. The element of female sex appeal is prevalent in the restaurants, and the company believes the Hooters Girl is as socially acceptable as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, Sports Illustrated swimsuit model or a Radio City Rockette.

“We are a fun place to be for everyone,” Landfried said. “If you have never been to a Hooters, I urge you to come and check us out for yourself.”

For more information about Hooters, visit hooters.com.

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Little Caesars Pizza on Robert C. Byrd Drive in Beckley softly announced its official reopening April 25.

Franchisee owners Vicki Dunn-Marshall and Donald Marshall said customers cheerfully welcomed them back during their visits to purchase Hot-N-Ready pizzas.

“Customers continue to have higher standards for quality and service, and we are ready to exceed them,” said Dunn-Marshall.

The Marshalls are not new to Little Caesars. They opened their first Little Caesars Pizza in West Virginia in 1985. They continue to expand throughout West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky.

“When you visit the new Beckley Little Caesars, you will see the changes everywhere,” said Mikki Cassity, marketing and public relations representative for Little Caesars. “They have upgraded the convenient drive-thru pick-up window and coupled it with an outside menu board and speaker box to provide even quicker service. The Hot-n-Ready Menu has expanded and now includes Caesar Wings Hot-N-Ready, all day, every day.

“There are some things that will remain the same, which is the commitment to the customer, great service and great quality pizza, Crazy Bread, and Italian Cheese Bread. These standards are what our customers have come to expect and love from Little Caesars.”

The establishment’s hours of operation remain unchanged, which are Sunday through Monday, from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

For more information about Little Caesars, visit www.LittleCaesars.com.

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Rio Grande will be temporarily closing on May 14 and will reopen in a new location in the Cranberry Creek plaza. The Mexican restaurant is one of several business that have moved to make way for a new Walgreens.

Walgreens has already opened a new store in Beaver and another is under construction at the intersection of Robert C. Byrd Drive and Harper Road. A third location is planned for the old Rio Grande site.

On the other side of town, the old Pancake House on Harper Road is undergoing renovations that will transform it into the Campestre Mexican Bar & Grill. Campestre offers an authentic Mexican dinning experience. There is a Campestre in Princeton at 259 Greasy Ridge Road. An opening date has not been announced.

Another renovation is planned for the old Burger King building on Harper Road. It will be converted into a First Century Bank branch. No opening date has been announced.

Also, the old DFW Furniture in the Cranberry Creek Plaza in Beckley is now a rue21 clothing store. rue21 is a leading specialty retailer offering the latest fashion for girls and guys.

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One rumor to put to rest, at least for 2008, is The Home Depot.

According to Craig Fishel, public relations manager with The Home Depot, Beckley is not among its 2008 new store locations.

Fishel said the company’s 2008 financial outlook called for 55 new store openings with five store relocations, but Beckley is not one of those.

Fishel said recent advertising by The Home Depot in The Register-Herald may be due to the newspaper being part of a larger national group of newspapers or part of an expanding advertisement area.

“The Home Depot will continue to look at potential locations for new store openings, so Beckley could be on the radar in the future,” Fishel said.

— E-mail: fpace@register-herald.com