For fans of sweet tea, baked spuds, Reuben sandwiches, soups and salads, the quick-casual McAlister’s Deli sounds like your kind of place.
It includes those specialty items and more on its menu, and one of the restaurants may be headed for Evansville.
Bill McClintock, vice president of development for the Ridgeland, Miss.-based McAl-ister’s Corp., said the company is currently scouting for a location in Evansville.
He declined to reveal any potential sites.
McClintock said a location is expected to be decided within the next 30 to 60 days, and a franchisee should be lined up within the next 90 to 100 days.
“We’re looking on the East and West sides of Evansville and Downtown.
“Nothing has been decided yet, however.”
McClintock said the nearest McAlister’s restaurants to Evansville can be found in Louisville, Ky., which includes five stores, and in the Indianapolis-Bloomington area, which includes 12 stores.
The chain has a total of 300 locations in 23 states.
Typically, a McAlister’s includes 3,000 to 4,000 square feet of space, seating between 100 and 130 diners.
The chain opts for a newly constructed building or an existing stand-alone facility or locating in converted space.
On average, 60 percent of McAlister’s customers are women, said McClintock, theorizing that may be because of the chain’s variety of salads and other lighter menu items.
The McAlister’s massive chalkboard menu also includes a little heavier food, among its listing of more than 100 items.
“The only thing missing is food that’s fried or greasy,” according to the McAlister’s Web site, www.mcalistersdeli.com.
The site advises “Don’t forget to add a tall glass of McAlister’s Famous Sweet Tea to your order.”
The site states: “The only problem is people always want to know how we make it, which has led to a few crazy rumors we would like to clear up:
“No, we didn’t steal it from the Russian secret service.
“No, it wasn’t originally a recipe developed by a Chinese monk.
“No, it’s not made from a rare tea leaf found only in the Amazon.
“No, it’s not filled with anything illegal.
No, we don’t have grandma held hostage in the back room making batch after batch.
“And, no, you can’t have the recipe. That’s our little secret …”
The McAlister’s chain claims its tea “swiftly and permanently established its superiority to all challengers.”
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