Red Lobster opens in Matthews
(Above) Red Lobster, 9801 Independence Pointe Pkwy., in Matthews, served its first customers Monday, June 25. Kara Lopp/MMHW photo
Matthews is now home to a Red Lobster restaurant.
The eatery at 9801 Independence Pointe Pkwy. served its first customers Monday, June 25.
The company hired about 180 people in part- and full-time positions, company spokeswoman Heidi Schauer said.
Matthews town commissioners approved a zoning change for the restaurant last year after a battle with a company official over the planned building materials. Commissioners required the building to be built of brick.
The eatery is part of the Orlando, Fla.-based Darden Restaurants, which also owns Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52. The 3-acre property, which sits adjacent to the now shuttered Bob Evans restaurant, was the former corporate office for Morningstar Properties. With a price tag of about $3 million, the 5,880-square-foot Red Lobster restaurant features the chain’s new New England-inspired Bar Harbor design. The Pineville store was recently remodeled to fit the new motif.
For more information, call 704-708-4439.
Join Matthews Chamber for a Knights game
Matthews Mayor Jim Taylor will throw at the first pitch at the Thursday, July 12 game of the Charlotte Knights during the Matthews Chamber of Commerce’s Night at the Knights.
The chamber will host a free tailgating party with food and drinks beginning at 5:30 p.m. The game starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $8 and on sale at the chamber office, 210 Matthews Station St.
For more information, call 704-847-3649.
Krispy Kreme plans OKd
When Matthews’ Krispy Kreme doughnut company tears down its current building at 9301 E. Independence Blvd. and builds a new design, eight mature oak trees will be spared, and two others will come down. The cut trees must be replaced, according to town landscaping code.
Town commissioners approved the company’s construction plans Monday, June 25 after reviewing a landscaping plan detailing trees on the site now and which ones will be saved. Commissioners had expressed concern during an earlier meeting that the company’s plans didn’t specify any trees to be saved. Mature trees, including oaks and crepe myrtles, are on the property.
Krispy Kreme has been at its current location since 1980. The new building would be built further back from East Independence Boulevard in anticipation of the need for right-of-way for the widening of the street. The location would be one of the first in America to boast Krispy Kreme’s new design, which includes an aluminum storefront and patio.
Palmetto opens party, meeting room
The Palmetto Grill & Bakery isn’t a bakery any longer.
The restaurant’s bakery at 7106 Brighton Park Drive, suite 600, closed in May to transform the space into a community meeting room for private parties of up to about 40 people, owner and Mint Hill resident Brad Bowen said. The private room is now ready.
French doors separate the room from the rest of the business and a 50-inch TV on the wall will allow for business presentations, Bowen said. After opening the restaurant in September, Bowen said he quickly realized there was more demand for private meeting space in Mint Hill than baked goods.
For more information, call 704-573-1444.
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