Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 6, 1995 TAG: 9505080052
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RON BROWN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: TROUTVILLE LENGTH: Medium
"The chances are better than 50-50 that we'll go up there," said Ed McRae, Cracker Barrel's real estate manager for the mid-Atlantic region. "We've got to get an agreement on land price."
The company has entered into negotiations with the owner of a newly built Holiday Inn Express to purchase an adjacent tract of land. The motel, which has no restaurant, is expected to open in the next several weeks.
McRae met earlier this week with Botetourt County officials to discuss sign regulations near Exit 150, where the interstate, U.S. 11, and U.S. 220 converge.
Cracker Barrel, which already has a outlet near Interstate 81 in Christiansburg, has long expressed interest in operating closer to Roanoke. In 1992, it proposed building a restaurant near the Hollins exit off Interstate 81 in Roanoke County, but backed off because of a county ordinance that restricts the height of signs to 25 feet.
Botetourt County's zoning ordinance allows signs of up to 35 feet near the interstate, but the company could go higher by requesting a special permit from the Board of Supervisors. Currently, about a half-dozen businesses near Exit 150 have signs exceeding the 35-foot limit.
A company consultant on Wednesday used a crane displaying flags at different heights to determine at what point along I-81 the company's sign would be seen.
A source familiar with a meeting this week between company and county officials said a Troutville outlet could employ as many as 80 people.
Designed to resemble old country stores, entrances to Cracker Barrel restaurants are through a retail area that displays craft items, jams and memorabilia. The chain's dining rooms have bare wooden floors, wooden tables and stone fireplaces.
Breakfast is served all day, and you can also buy a big wooden rocking chair outside for $99.
The company, which started in 1969, reported net profit of $57 million on sales of $640.9 million in its latest fiscal year, ended last July. It operates 212 restaurants, most of them in the Southeast.
The company came under fire in 1993 by critics who said it refused to hire homosexuals. The company denied the allegations, but shareholders refused to create a companywide antidiscrimination policy.
by CNB