Cracker Barrel Construction Underway in Lavonia

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia

Work is underway in Lavonia on the new Cracker Barrel family restaurant.

The restaurant company officially announced this week that construction started earlier this month.

Cracker Barrel is building its new restaurant on the Ross Place property where a topless bar, the Cafe Risque, once stood.

In 2009, the City of Lavonia was able to buy that property and tear the building down, after which the city began seeking a buyer for the property.

After years of rumors, Lavonia City Manager Charles Cawthon said the hopes of the community for a Cracker Barrel on that site are finally coming true and everyone is anxiously awaiting the new restaurant’s opening.

“Not only here in town, but in the other cities that I travel to, that is the topic of discussion and it seems to be all everybody wants to talk about,” said Cawthon. “We are really excited about it finally happening. We have been talking about it for a long time, so it is good that something is finally taking place. One of the guys at Cracker Barrel told me early on in the process that when he traveled between Atlanta and Charlotte, he would see that place and think that is a perfect place for a Cracker Barrel and he says he finally gets to put one there, so I guess everything has come full circle.”

Cracker Barrel Company Spokesperson Samantha Toth said actual construction began January 3.

Toth said Cracker Barrel is looking forward to being an integral part of the community.

Noting that Franklin, Stephens, and Hart counties are all located on Lake Hartwell, Toth said another aspect that attracted Cracker Barrel to the Ross Place location is the large tourist trade that routinely travels through that area.

She said that is why this Cracker Barrel will be a larger store, which means they will be hiring over a hundred new employees.

“This summer, we are going to be looking to hire about 175 full-time and part-time employees in the local Lavonia area and the store will actually be over 10,000 square feet,” said Toth.

Cracker Barrel said it hopes to open its new Lavonia location by this July.

For information on applying for a position with Cracker Barrel, people can visit their Web site at crackerbarrel.com and click on “Careers.”