Ear To The Ground: Myriad Of Businesses Headed To Wesley Chapel

By Gary Nager

Although there are still a lot of unconfirmed rumors about what new businesses are coming to Wesley Chapel, we have a few for you that we’re at least confident enough to announce. First, the new Wal-Mart, which is quickly coming out of the ground and should be open for business sometime this fall on S.R. 54 (just east of Applebee’s), has plenty of “friends” that will also be built in the area across from Wesley Chapel Nissan and Century Kia of Wesley Chapel, including (drumroll, please), Hooter’s, which of course, couldn’t allow the new Wing House open on S.R. 54 without it’s chief competitor in the wings- and-sexy-shorts-wearing women restaurant/sports bar biz opening nearby.

Also reportedly to be included in the plaza around Wal-Mart are Chick-fil-A and Advanced Auto Parts (photo below), although a still-not-confirmed rumor certain to excite many locals is that Carrabba’s Italian Grill is seriously looking at the site, so we’ll definitely keep you posted.

We also expect a lot of popular places moving on or near S.R. 54 west of I-75 in the not-too-distant future, starting with Cody’s Roadhouse, which is expected to open in the former location of Remington’s Steakhouse (next to the Pinebrook at The Grove shopping plaza) by sometime this spring. An interesting note is that Cody’s also had taken over the former Remington’s location on E. Bearss Ave. (near BBD) that is now occupied by PJ Dolan’s Irish Pub & Grille.

But, perhaps the biggest news of all — at least for Wesley Chapel moms and dads looking for more fun stuff to do with their kids without having to drive — is that it appears that Chuck E. Cheese’s will be coming to a currently vacant parcel of land in The Grove shopping center off Oakley Blvd. (closer to the Cobb 16 movie theaters than to Outback). Although CEC Entertainment, Inc., the parent company of the mouse-themed kids party place with nearly 600 locations nationwide, has yet to confirm that the Chuckster will soon have a local home, the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce was on hand when engineers for CEC were on-site surveying the property.

The only sad news to report is that Dave & Buster’s, which is basically like Chuck E. Cheese’s for adults and older kids with better food, also had been looking in The Grove, but has since withdrawn that interest. Again, we’ll keep you posted on all of these and any other new biz developments in our upcoming issues.