Kinstonians may be seeing Little Caesars tossing and baking pizza around April, if the city approves a zoning change.
Signs are up saying the pizza franchise is “Coming Soon!” at the former location of the Kinston Pawn & Jewelry shop at 111 W. Vernon Ave, across from the McDonald’s.
Mike Shaub, and his partner David Myers who owns Little Caesars carry-outs in Rocky Mount and Roanoke Rapids, is hoping to lease and remodel the building.
Currently, the building is zoned residential/office, or RO, which does not allow drive-up windows.
Shaub said the restaurant will have a pick-up window, as well as carry-out — the style for which the chain is known. To do so, the zoning will need to be B-1, or general business.
A public hearing is set at the next city council meeting Jan. 22 at 5:30 p.m., followed by a planning board meeting the next week, Interim Planning Director Adam Short said. Council members could vote as early as Feb. 4.
“Until we go through that process,” Shaub said, “we really won’t know much.”
The previous business did not fall under B-1 zoning standards. Short said the pawn shop was located there before he worked in the city’s zoning office.
“I’m not exactly sure why it was allowed there,” he said about the pawn shop, “but probably it was grandfathered in. It’s not an allowed use in that district.”
Shaub, who is based in Charleston, S.C., said he and Myers will look for an alternative building if they can’t get the zoning changed. But, he is hoping their plans work out for the Vernon Avenue location.
“We like that little place across from the McDonald’s,” he said.
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The Chef and the Farmer restaurant has earned the Four Diamond status from AAA Carolinas for the third consecutive year. The restaurant received the award Jan. 3 at the Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel.
The dining facility, opened in June 2006, is owned by Benjamin “Ben” Knight and his wife, Chef Vivian Howard.
“AAA is a most prestigious award,” Knight said, “it’s a real big honor. … We’ve been thrilled to be a part of it and honored that we’ve been included in their Four Diamond rating.”
Knight said it’s unusual for a modern-style restaurant to receive the high rating, and he credits Howard’s uniquely-created dishes and the service staff.
Thirty-five hotels and 14 restaurants throughout North Carolina have achieved this rating.
“AAA’s requirements for a Four Diamond rating are rigorous, and those that achieve this designation are among the finest hotels and restaurants in the world,” said David E. Parsons, president and CEO of AAA Carolinas. “Only 3.4 percent of the more than 59,000 annual inspections conducted nationally result in a Four Diamond rating.”
Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter at MargaretFishr.
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Do you have a new retail business or one that’s undergone a significant change? The Free Press would like to hear about it. Contact Margaret Fisher 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com.