Oak Tree Place update

First Cracker Barrel dropped out, now Golden Corral has walked away. Starbucks has also said "no thanks" after they decided to slow expansion. What's left? From the Post-Gazette:

Building permits for a Mexican restaurant, Chipotle, and an Aspen Dental office are about to be issued by the township. Also in the queue are Sawa Japanese Steakhouse and Five Guys Burger and Fries.

Construction should begin in a few weeks.

Local Domenico's is now open

A carry-out/delivery version of Cranberry's Domenico's is now open in the new strip next to the Fitness Factory.

I'm going to be trying something new - restaurant reviews. Vote in the poll (which should be added shortly) and add your review to the comments if you wish.

Oak Tree Place restaurants set

The Post-Gazette has a short article on the restaurants planned for the new Oak Tree Place on Rt 19. Since Cracker Barrel has backed out yet again, the lineup changed a bit. (The original plan had Cracker Barrel and another Starbucks.)

• Sawa Japanese Steakhouse -- There's another location in Monroeville. The township has already approved a liquor license transfer.


• Chipotle -- The national burrito chain that will give Moe's a run.


• Golden Corral -- The family steakhouse with a buffet.

Johnny's Lunch

The hot dog chain Johnny's Lunch will be opening its first Pittsburgh-area location in Cranberry. From the Pittsburgh Business Times...

The Toledo-based company decided two years ago to expand the 70-year-old business by opening franchises outside of New York. The company claims more than 1,200 locations in development, with an area representative ready to open the Pittsburgh region’s first location in Cranberry Township. Gary Smith, a medical device marketing professional, plans to open a Johnny’s Lunch in Cranberry Commons on Route 228 by early spring.

Johnny’s serves its own proprietary hot dogs along with a special sauce. While its selection of dogs are sold with Chicago, Wisconsin, New Jersey and New York-style toppings, the menu also includes burgers, grilled chicken, soups and salads, along with milk shakes and soft drinks.

Philly Pretzel Factory

Coming to the old Marble Slab Creamery location (by Target) will be the Philly Pretzel Factory. They are a 10 year old soft pretzel franchise with more than 150 locations on the east coast.

Village at Pine

Not too far down Rt 19 will be the future Village at Pine at the corner of 19 and Wallace Rd. It's a 174 acre mixed residential/commercial development. The Post-Gazette ran a feature on the commercial aspect of it which is starting to take shape. Besides a Sonic and an unnamed sports bar, there are hints of other restaurants as well.

Now construction crews are working on the business phase of the development where PNC Bank already is operating. Dollar Bank, which is financing the development, soon will open. Huntington Bank also has signed a lease for a spot along Route 19, where the other banks are located.

Giant Eagle, with more than 182,000 square feet, is the anchor store and is scheduled to open in March. Getgo, Sonic and Owl Cleaners also will be there, in addition to restaurants, a sports bar, beauty salons, a nail shop, a jewelry store, a coffee shop, and a 5,000-square-foot "big name" card shop, said Mr. Gigliotti, who hesitated to name all the leases until negotiations are finalized.

Restaurants are a part of the plan. Mr. Gigliotti points to the steel frame of Building 4 at the corner of Route 19 and Wallace Road. Restaurants will be housed here; a balcony/patio that encircles the building can be used for outdoor dining. Decorative accents include wrought iron arches and railing.

Salsarita's closes

Salsarita's has shut its doors for good. Not sure when it happened, but a sign on the door says the location in the Cranberry Commons (by Target) is closed. Their website still lists the location, but the lack of a liquor license and the proximity to both On The Border and Moe's may have done them in. Along with Hereford & Hops, that's the second restaurant along restaurant row that has closed in the past couple months.

Sonic creeps closer

This is not truly local news but it involves a restaurant that some suspected was coming to the Streets of Cranberry a few months back. Drive-in fast food joint Sonic is building a store on Rt 8 just north of the Turnpike entrance in Gibsonia (by the Target and Lowes). The previous closest location was next to Pittsburgh Mills.

Sonic is a 50's style drive-in with carhops (who occasionally even wear roller skates). It has a wider variety of food and drink than your typical fast-food restaurant and has more than 3,000 locations across 34 states.

And yes, I'm a fan.

Bar Louie coming to Cranberry

According to the Cranberry Eagle, Chicago-based bar and restaurant Bar Louie will be coming to Cranberry. The future location is in the lower strip of the Cranberry Mall between Subway and the Szechwan Taste Chinese restaurant.

Bar Louie has more than 40 locations nationwide including two in the Pittsburgh area -- Station Square and the Waterfront. The restaurant describes itself as such:

This hip neighborhood restaurant and bar specializes in oversized sandwiches and artfully created jumbo martinis but also offers an extensive selection of appetizers, pastas and entrees; plus wide assortment of interesting beers, microbrews and wines by the glass or bottle. Warm surroundings with an urban feel include nightlife photography, signature hand-laid tile artwork, hardwood floors, and exposed brick walls. Service is speedy with a smile. Open for lunch, dinner, after-work or late night dining.

Stone Pepper's Grill targets Fall now

What was supposed to be Winter 2008, then Spring 2008 has now been pushed out to Fall 2008. Stone Pepper's website is now expecting an opening date of this Fall for the location at the Shoppes at Adams Ridge. The other location in Upper St. Clair is already open, though no online reviews have been posted. An interactive website is promised to be set up soon.

Hereford & Hops closes

As of this past Tuesday, Hereford & Hops in Cranberry has closed. This past December the restaurant filed for bankruptcy and tried to stay open through reorganization. The other two out-of-state locations remain open.

Beecher's burns down

Beecher's, the quaint gelato and coffee shop in downtown Zelienople, was a total loss after a massive fire last night. The Post-Gazette has more:

About a dozen fire departments from Allegheny, Beaver and Butler counties were called to the scene. But the fire, [Zelienople Police Chief Jim Miller] said, quickly spread next door to Beecher's Coffee Shop, a gourmet coffee shop whose owners had recently renovated the building top to bottom and added wireless Internet access for customers.

That building was destroyed, and the fire also caused smoke and water damage to the Hamilton law offices next door. Several firefighters also were trapped briefly when part of a roof collapsed.

The coffee shop, which served gelato and sandwiches and hosted live music, had been restored in the past three years to become "probably the best-looking place around," Chief Miller said.

A state police fire marshal was investigating. No damage estimates were available, but Chief Miller said the AAA building and the coffee shop were probably total losses.

Oak Tree Place

First mentioned back in November, Cracker Barrel has received approval to be built on the location that previous held the Oak Tree Motel.

On the immediate horizon is the Oak Tree Place development at the site of the old Oak Leaf Motel along Route 19 near Dutilh Road. It will include a Cracker Barrel restaurant, a Starbucks, a drive-through bank and retail shops.

The Oak Tree Place project, being pursued by Walnut Capital Partners, of Shadyside, could be open by June 2009. The project was noteworthy for more than just the tenants it will contain. Township officials said Walnut Capital voluntarily agreed to pay transportation impact fees not only to Cranberry, which it is required by law to do, but also to Marshall. The project is being developed on the municipal border.

The Oak Tree Place development will have 41,581 square feet of commercial space.

More renderings of the shopping center can be found at the Walnut Capital website.

In addition, a new 14,000 square-foot Rite Aid will be built on Freedom Road across from the Cranberry Mall.

Pizza Hut coming to Adams Ridge

Another piece of the Shoppes at Adams Ridge lineup has been announced - Pizza Hut. There's a small sign on site announcing the future location as well as various job listings. There's no projected opening date and no mention on Pizza Hut's official site.

Restaurant updates

The Post-Gazette today detailed two future Cranberry restaurants as well as a landscaping and garden center.

First off is Houlihan's (warning: annoying music), a restaurant and bar that already has three locations in the Pittsburgh area. It will be finding a home in the Streets of Cranberry as a stand-alone building in the front right of the shopping center. Houlihan's offers "classic American food" with a full bar.

Sir Pizza is a Pittsburgh chain that will be located along Commonwealth Drive. They offer pizza, pasta, subs and a six-pack shop.

The Barn Landscape Supply & Greenhouse will be located near North Boundary Park.

The developer, Bobby Colosimo, of Ross, said he's been planning the center for three years but has had to deal with sight distance problems. Mashuda Corp., of Cranberry, will use a special road-working machine to resolve the problem by lowering North Boundary Road six inches.

A 4,416-square-foot retail center will be constructed along with two outdoor display areas that will total about 11,000 square feet.

Mr. Colosimo said he hoped to be open by the fall planting season.

Hereford & Hops Bankrupt

The Tribune-Review reports the two companies that own Hereford & Hops have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The restaurant plans to remain open while it reorganizes.

The 75 employee restaurant has been open for about two years on 228 along "Restaurant Row". More information here.

More on Stone Pepper's Grill

Over in the Shoppes at Adams Ridge (across 228 from Giant Eagle), there is a restaurant being built called Stone Pepper's Grill that will be opening in the next few months. Stone Pepper's will be opened in two locations in the Pittsburgh area. Currently, their website doesn't have much information, but an architecture firm has a PDF with the proposed layout and design of the 3,500 square foot restaurant.

From the brochure (PDF):

StonePepper’s Grill is a new family restaurant/sports bar with a modern European atmosphere. The concept features a pasta bar, brick oven, bar and restaurant and offers patrons takeout services as well as an elegant dining experience.

The interior has been developed with a modern European atmosphere featuring stone walls and exposed structural elements.

StonePepper’s Grill also utilizes display cooking to entertain and entice guests with steam kettles in the pasta bar and the featured stone clad pizza oven.

The bar area is relaxed and refined with decorative concrete floors, a cherry wood and granite bar and flat screen monitors.

Allegheny's Drink Tax

Earlier this week, Allegheny County passed its new budget that included, among other things, a new 10% poured alcohol drink tax. The restaurateurs pledge to fight it, and it didn't take long for its impact to be projected. The Tribune-Review today noted some of the possible effects of this tax.

The populations of towns near the border of Allegheny County -- communities like Cranberry in Butler County or Peters in Washington County -- have surged in recent years as businesses sprawl farther from Downtown.

A partner in the P.F. Chang's China Bistro at The Waterfront told officials he likely wouldn't consider a new location in the county. Another business owner compared the county's population -- which Census figures show has dropped 8.5 percent since 1990 -- to Cranberry's, which nearly doubled during the same period.

"Why?" asked John Graf, who owns The Priory, a North Side hotel. "Lower taxes, easier to deal with government, easier to start a business -- simple as that."

Shopping, restaurant updates

The Post-Gazette ran a few articles today detailing some upcoming developments in Cranberry. Here's a quick list:

• Cracker Barrel will be coming to town. Originally, they were supposed to be located in "restaurant row" where Olive Garden, Red Robin, On The Border, etc. are located. That fell through, and now they'll try again on Rt. 19 where the Oak Leaf Motel used to stand. They'll be located just down the street from several other similar restaurants - Eat'n Park, Perkins and Bob Evans.


• Cranberry Promenade (second item down) , detailed last Spring in the PG, is expecting approval to begin building in the Spring. The grocer Aldi will anchor the mixed-use development along with a pharmacy and a couple banks.


• The biggest project on the list is the Summit at Cranberry. Required as part of that project are modifications to Rt. 228 to handle the increase in traffic. Currently, the developers are a few million short on the money needed to improve the roads. The project will proceed anyway and they hope to have the improvements completed by 2012.

Captain's Pizza?

The Stefano's Pizza location in Seven Fields has a large banner up announcing that Captain's Pizza is coming soon. Is Stefano's rebranding itself or are they closing shop and making way for the next in line? Stefano's opened last year after Pizza Joe's closed up. It's not apparent if Stefano's has closed yet. There is one other Captain's Pizza in the Pittsburgh area.