restaurants in the SBC

[jcasey]

My money is on them reopening in the Youree corridor, or behind Youree on Kings. Because within the next two years I'd be very surprised if Kings didn't start developing up rapidly after Kings Court fills up, since SDI Realty still owns all that land behind the proposed Regal Court.

[dimebag1980]

Yeah, I agree. A week or two ago I entered Kings Crossing from Kings Hwy and I was thinking, man there is still a lot of property back here. Also as you know that bank is being built on the corner of Kings and 70th. I think it's only a matter of time before they begin developing that property also.

[dimebag1980]

I've contacted Bonefish Grill to inquire about future locations in our region. I doubt I'll get anything more than a default response like "Thanks for your interest, but we do not disclose information about possible future locations." Regardless, when I do receive a response I'll be sure and share it here.

[Rardy]

My money is on them reopening in the Youree corridor, or behind Youree on Kings. Because within the next two years I'd be very surprised if Kings didn't start developing up rapidly after Kings Court fills up, since SDI Realty still owns all that land behind the proposed Regal Court.

[dimebag1980]

Honestly, I didn't know there were any Semolina's left in business... All the one's I knew of closed down a couple of years ago...

[Rardy]

I'm not sure, but here's the list of locations on Semolina's website:

http://www.semolina.com/site5.php

[dimebag1980]

Well don't feel bad -- Baton Rouge lost 2 of their locations and Alexandria lost their only one... Clearly not an indication of the restaurant-viability of a city.

[Riverrat]

Wow, I didn't know they were dropping off like that. I really like the one in Shreveport.

I can understand them losing business, though, because of where they were located. Youree Drive has siphoned the customer base out of the Uptown area and Semolina is one of the holdouts.

[fridayinla]

What a shame! I enjoyed Semolinas, the food was really great. I wonder if they are going to open anything new in its place? BTW has anyone checked out the progress at Uptown? I haven't been in that immediate area for some time now. My job takes me into Cedar Grove daily (Jimmie Davis Hwy to 70th to Linwood) I am a paint salesman for Akzo Nobel-we sell automotive paint to body shops. I travel to the Monroe Bastrop area on a daily basis. Hugh

[dimebag1980]

I was over there at Jason's Deli 2-3 weeks ago and they were making serious progress. I'm assuming Starbucks is going in next to Ristorante Guisseppe in the building that formerly houses Michael's. If so, I wasn't too impressed by the pace of that portion of the project. Everything else was going well it seemed.

I'm really hoping this helps to create a turnaround in the Uptown area, and I really wish the building on the end that houses the eye care store, coin shop, and Subway, would be remodeled as well. That building is far outdated as well.

[jcasey]

BTW has anyone checked out the progress at Uptown?

[fridayinla]

I was over there on Friday. It is coming along very nicely. When it is done it is going to look good. Looks like all (or at least most) the framing is done on the store fronts. They are bricking around all the posts. Some of the store fronts have been made focal points. They have towers and landings (??) coming out the front with nice brickwork and it looks like trees will be added later. I was over there at night and it seemed that the place could use more lighting. Too bad I didn't have a camera w/ me.

[jcasey]

I think they're planning to add a water feature to the property also. I need to find that original article.

[dimebag1980]

Very cool, I need to get back over there sometime soon. That part of Line isn't hard for me to get to, but at lunch it can be tough. Maybe after work someday this week I'll go by there.

I went by the Shreve City Wal-Mart site again this afternoon, and wow! I was just down there over the weekend but they've doubled the amount of walls they have standing now. Amazing!

By the way, while the Shreveport-Barksdale Bridge is under reconstruction and both directions of traffic flow are being diverted to one of the two-lane twin spans, traffic on Shreveport-Barksdale is amazingly bad. It reminds me very much of Jimmie Davis on a normal day, showing what the Shreve City area's traffic would be like on a daily basis if there weren't two bridges. It proves how much traffic passes by the site of the new Wal-Mart, though.

[jcasey]

Very cool, I need to get back over there sometime soon. That part of Line isn't hard for me to get to, but at lunch it can be tough. Maybe after work someday this week I'll go by there.

I went by the Shreve City Wal-Mart site again this afternoon, and wow! I was just down there over the weekend but they've doubled the amount of walls they have standing now. Amazing!

By the way, while the Shreveport-Barksdale Bridge is under reconstruction and both directions of traffic flow are being diverted to one of the two-lane twin spans, traffic on Shreveport-Barksdale is amazingly bad. It reminds me very much of Jimmie Davis on a normal day, showing what the Shreve City area's traffic would be like on a daily basis if there weren't two bridges. It proves how much traffic passes by the site of the new Wal-Mart, though.

[fridayinla]

I was out there again today, and in the day time it looks so much better! They are putting on the concrete layer and putting the stone work on the store fronts. Some of the fronts are done. It looks like there may be a water feature possible over by the new restaurant. That remodeling will definitely give that area of town a shot in the arm! Again, it looks awesome!

[dimebag1980]

Yeah, we know Wal-Mart would not open a store in a low traffic area. Maybe other companies will take notice of that area now. FYI Wal-Mart was (I think) the first big store on that end of Youree (although it is a mile or so away from the main development). The Wal-Mart people know a good area when they see one! Wal-Mart always seems to get an area first.

[dimebag1980]

Anyone have photos?

[dimebag1980]

Quoted below is the response I received from Bonefish Grill regarding my Shreveport inquiry:

Hello Brian,

Covington is a possibility in late 2007. I am not too sure about Shreveport, we have looked at some sights but nothing solid.

Thank you for your interest!!

Jennifer #####

[jcasey]

Quoted below is the response I received from Bonefish Grill regarding my Shreveport inquiry:

Looks like they're definitely trying to get into this market, but they haven't decided on a location yet. Three great possible locations would be: Boardwalk, Stirling Bossier Center, or Regal Court.

I've replied back with my suggestions, so hopefully they'll keep those in mind.

[dimebag1980]

First of all, it is very cool that they sent a meaningful reply, usually you just get garbage back.

[jcasey]

Funny you should say that, because here's an excerpt from the latest reply I sent her. In the second-to-last paragraph I point out how much I appreciated the personalized responsed rather than some default response.

Thanks for your reply regarding Shreveport.

I'm sure you've looked at all of these sites, but just incase I figured I'd point them out to you. All of these are new centers that Bonefish would fit in perfectly:

Regal Court - or any other part of the Youree Drive shopping district

Louisiana Boardwalk - riverfront lifestyle center

Stirling Bossier - new, large shopping center in north Bossier City

Like I said, I'm just throwing those sites out there for you just incase.

I do appreciate the personalized response, because part of me thought I'd receive a default "thanks for your interest" response. I prefer a more personalized approach to customer service, so it's much appreciated.

Again, thanks, and I do hope to be dining at a Bonefish in the Shreveport-Bossier area in the not-too-distant future!

Exactly! They're definitely interested, so it sounds like now they just have to pin down a location. I sure wish they'd hire me to do it for them, because I'd definitely pick one for them!

[dimebag1980]

I'm sure you would do it for the love of SBC, but the big fat salary that should come along with that gig would be nice too! BTW, I'm sure that you would pick them two!

[jcasey]

Of course I'd pick two: Youree Drive and Airline Drive. Boardwalk would be nice, but I really think for ease of access, Youree and Airline are the two best options, with Boardwalk coming in third.

Personally I think every chain that locates on Youree needs an Airline location as well. MANY of them are doing just that, but I think more are needed... TGI Friday's for example.

[dimebag1980]

I also believe that certain (and most) restaurants we could support a location in Shreveport and Bossier. I am always wanting something new. I was thinking today what would be nice to see to the area. I think a Costco, IKEA, Expo Design Center, PF Changs (which is hopefully about to be a reality), California Pizza Kitchen, anything you would like to add?