Chick-Fil-A to be built at Pizza Inn location

A building permit application for a free-standing Chick-Fil-A has been filed at city hall, confirming rumors about the restaurant circulating around Cape Girardeau for months.

Chick-Fil-A will be at 3333 Gordonville Road, at the intersection of William Street and Saint Francis Drive. The Pizza Inn there will be torn down to make way for the 4,596-square-foot Chick-Fil-A, according to plans filed at city hall. The property is owned by Drury Southwest Inc. The restaurant will have 138 seats and a drive-thru window. There will be 50 parking spaces on the nearly one-acre site.

Chick-Fil-A has been rapidly expanding its franchise and plans to add 90 locations to its restaurant portfolio, including 71 stand-alone locations in 2011, according to a Feb. 21 news release. There is currently a Chick-Fil-A on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University, and there used to be one inside West Park Mall. The city is now in process of reviewing the Chick-Fil-A building plans, said Ken Eftink, assistant city manager. A building permit is yet to be issued by the city; however, construction is expected to start this spring.

* Cafe Soupe to open in City Centre: A new restaurant specializing in soups will join LeBounce inflatable play center and The Source Yoga & More inside City Centre at 2502 Tanner Drive, the former location of Rust & Martin. In addition to an assortment of soups, Cafe Soupe will serve sandwiches and salads. The restaurant's seating area will be in the indoor courtyard inside City Center. It will also serve gourmet coffees and fountain drinks. Cafe Soupe is scheduled to open in late March.

n New store: Aloha Pools and Spas has opened a store at 1749 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau. The company also has locations in Paducah, Ky., Union City, Tenn., and Jackson, Tenn. Aloha Pools and Spas specializes in in-ground pool construction. It offers vinyl-liner, fiberglass and Gunite pools in a variety of shapes and sizes, as well as pool chemical care and accessories, hot tubs, tanning beds and Primo Grills.

* Bryant opens insurance office: Cape Girardeau's newest Farmers Insurance Group agent, Tim Bryant, has opened an office at 1928 Golden Eagle Court, Suite 3. Bryant is also licensed to sell health and Medicare supplemental insurance. Farmers is the nation's third-largest personal lines property and casualty insurance group, doing business in 41 states. Tom Kelsey, commercial broker with Lorimont Place Ltd., handled the lease transaction. The multitenant office building is owned by G&L Property Management.

n Saint Francis Pain Center accredited: Saint Francis Medical Center's Pain Management Center has earned accreditation from the American Academy of Pain Management, a distinction only two other facilities in Missouri have. In accrediting the Pain Management Center as a multidisciplinary pain center, the academy recognized the center for demonstrating excellence in pain assessment and management, staff and patient education, accountability standards, and commitment to continual quality improvement.

The Pain Management Center offers a spectrum of inpatient and outpatient pain management services to patients along the acute-chronic continuum. It sees patients with occupational injuries, degenerative diseases, accidental and surgically induced pain, and pain from cancer and terminal illnesses.

* Elite Travel recognized: El Dorado Spa Resorts & Hotels and Azul Hotels by Charisma, a Gourmet Inclusive beachfront resort in the Riviera Maya, Mexico, recently named Elite Travel Inc. of Cape Girardeau a certified Gourmet Inclusive Vacation Agency with Diamond Status, an achievement that indicates a high professional commitment exceeding service standards. Elite Travel received the recognition at the third annual Gourmet Inclusive Vacation Consultant Awards and Sales & Marketing Forum at El Dorado Royale Dec. 1 to 4. Elite was also recently inducted as a member of the Funjet Vacations 500 Club. The program recognizes travel agents who have had outstanding sales and service achievements in the last year.

Southeast Missourian business reporter Melissa Miller may be contacted at 388-3646 or mmiller@semissourian.com.