SALE OF STIE FOR NEW SEAFOOD RESTAURANT FINALIZED

The way has been cleared for construction of a Red Lobster restaurant in Cape Girardeau.

Bob Hahn, vice president of development for MidAmerica Hotels Corp., said last week that sale of the Red Lobster site has been finalized and construction could start as soon as December.

The west-end location, in front of the Victorian Inn on Route K between Interstate 55 and Silver Springs Road, will house a 6,000-square-foot, multimillion-dollar restaurant.

"MidAmerica Hotels Corp. is pleased to have Red Lobster as our neighbor at Holiday Inn and Victorian Inn and part of the regional Cape Girardeau community," Hahn said.

Dick Monroe, vice president of public relations for Red Lobster in Orlando, Fla., said construction should be completed by the middle of next summer.

"They're getting the permits now," he said. "We're expecting those permits back, hopefully, in the next week or so.

"At that time we'll put the bids out, and with the good Lord willing and the weather cooperating we could probably start construction sometime in December or January."

Monroe said the restaurant will take about seven months to complete once construction starts. He said Red Lobster plans to employ up to 100 people at the Cape Girardeau restaurant.

He said the national seafood restaurant chain builds 40-50 restaurants annually across the country, but has recently found that the restaurants do as well in smaller communities like Cape Girardeau as they do in larger cities.

"We're able to do a lot better in smaller communities than we ever thought," Monroe said. "Cape Girardeau is much smaller than an Atlanta or St. Louis, but that's not to disparage Cape Girardeau.

"The cost of doing business is less, which allows you to make a reasonable return on your investment."

Monroe said the Cape Girardeau location, near the interstate, hotels and West Park Mall, should mean a successful venture for the restaurant.

Also, Southeast Missouri State University will provide a valuable resource in potential employees, he said.

"I'm on two advisory boards for universities, and whenever I get the chance to talk with students I tell them this is the way to go," he said. "Restaurant work allows you to have a flexible schedule and still pay the bills.

"I expect we'll employ a lot of students from the university there."

Monroe said Cape Girardeau patrons of the restaurant will get the same type of service afforded Red Lobster clients in bigger cities.

"With today's air transportation and our computers and technology, we'll be getting fresh fish -- salmon, lobster -- flown in and trucked in just as we do for our restaurants in Boston, Clearwater (Fla.) and anywhere else," he said. "We're the world's largest overnight shipper of fresh fish."

Monroe said he thought the Cape Girardeau market would be a "real winner" for the company.

Hahn agreed: "Red Lobster will be an integral part of MidAmerica Hotels hospitality concept."

Hahn said the hotel company will "continue to strive to expand and improve on our existing facilities to bring the best option available in food, lodging and recreation to the Cape Girardeau area and the travelling public."