For all the folks who like to complain there’s not enough time to get things done, I have great news. One second is being added to 2016.
This is being done to keep the atomic time perfectly in line with Earth’s rotation. Like a leap year day, a leap second is added to our calendar periodically. This is the first time since 1998 we’ve had a leap second added in consecutive years so there should be no more moans about being rushed to get things done.
The extra second will be officially added Dec. 31 at exactly 5:59:59 p.m. If you really keep a close track of time, please insert the extra second at that point.
What all this means is we’ll have extra time this year to eat fried fish. And we’ll have a sparkling new Captain D’s restaurant where we can enjoy our ocean catch.
Please pause for a second, you’ll get it back later, as I make this announcement. Our new Captain D’s next to Bojangles will be opening this Wednesday. Our current Captain D’s will close Sunday after dinner.
Ladies and gentlemen, this means we, as a community, will be without a Captain D’s for two days. Get your support system in place now.
“Wednesday is our target date and I don’t see anything that’s going to keep us from reaching that target,” said Cody Blackwell, who owns our Captain D’s with his brother, Steve. “It’s just little stuff we’re finishing up now.”
Cody and Steve were both at the new restaurant Friday overseeing the final stages of work. Cody said one major change is the new restaurant will have permanent plates and forks that are not tossed in the trash when the customer is done eating. The plates and forks will go through a dishwasher and be used again and again.
“That adds a little more work than we’re used to doing,” said Cody.
Another new twist is the drive-thru window. This gives customers the convenience of never having to leave their vehicle to get their order.
For customers with enough strength to walk from their car into the restaurant, the new dining room is a combination of booths and tables. Seating capacity remains about the same with 94 seats, but there’s one big table to accommodate a large group and smaller tables can be pushed together for groups if necessary.
Cody says they’ve hired a few new employees to address an expected increase in business that comes with the excitement of a new restaurant. Despite keeping the same crew, he expects a few minor growing pains as employees orient themselves to a new kitchen setup and some slight procedure changes.
Cody and Steve have owned our Captain D’s for the past 15 years, buying the business from their uncle. Cody said the current building has run its course
“It’s been a wonderful store. It’s done more business than it was designed to do,” he said. “The new store addresses some of our needs, a bigger kitchen, more storage. Our goal is happier customers.”
Also new are outside tables that will be nice when the weather is warmer and a self-service station for soft drinks. Cody said Captain D’s, as a chain, has made great strides the past five years under the direction of a new CEO.
“They’ve brought a better meal to the table with quality improvements,” said Cody.
As for what will move into the current Captain D’s building, Cody said he and Steve are the property owners and it’s for sale.
“It’s a great fit for any place that doesn’t need a drive-thru,” he said. A new tenant has not yet been found.
Get your last meal at our current Captain D’s on Sunday and enjoy the new restaurant beginning Wednesday. Your mouth will thank you.

Hardee’s plans Dec. 13 opening

It was several weeks ago when I made the bold prediction our new Captain D’s would open four days before our new Hardee’s. That prediction, made with intel only available to Business Cheetah, has turned out to be completely wrong.
If everything goes according to plan, Captain D’s will open six days before Hardee’s serves its first biscuit on Tuesday, Dec. 13. Allow me to take this time to apologize and say I have no excuses for getting this wrong.
I stopped by Hardee’s on Friday and had a chance to chat with general manager Edrie Wann and several employees. Edrie told me she’s hired 47 workers thus far and was in the process of interviewing potential employee No. 48 while I was at the restaurant.
While our Hardee’s has been shut down, Edrie has spent time working at Hardee’s in Tullahoma and Woodbury.
“People would come up to me in Woodbury and ask when the Hardee’s was going to open in McMinnville,” said Edrie. “We have some very loyal customers. Some would stop in on their way to Murfreesboro.”
Contrary to widespread speculation, our new store is not opening as a Hardee’s/ Red Burrito.
“The thinking is that would be too much all at once,” said Edrie. “That’s not going to happen at this time.”
The new restaurant is equipped with snazzy video order boards inside. On the outside, the drive-thru has been repositioned in hopes of keeping traffic from spilling onto Main Street.
One thing I noticed, and Edrie mentioned too, is motorists may try to cut in line at the drive-thru by using the front entrance. I hope this doesn’t lead to road rage, or in this case gravy rage.
Beverly Smith has worked at Hardee’s for 14 years and three months. She makes biscuits and prepares food for the masses.
Beverly said the No. 1 selling item is the tried and true sausage biscuit. On Sunday mornings, she said customers are ready to splurge and they order breakfast platters which come with biscuit, gravy, eggs, hash rounds, and meat.
“The best thing about working here is we’re family,” said Beverly. “If you need a shoulder, it’s here. If you need to vent, it’s all good.”

Adult center coming to town

Ty Turner got his first taste of caring for the elderly in helping his grandmother.
“I’m sure there are some great CNAs out there,” said Ty, “but we didn’t have the best of luck.”
Saying he can’t stand the thought of older residents sitting at home with nothing to do, Ty has been working for months to open Hazel Chandler Adult Day Services on Hobson Street. He’s closing in on his opening day and should be ready to open this week or next week.
“The Senior Center is a great facility,” said Ty. “But those people come and they go. They have their potlucks and their gatherings. This is something different. This is for people who can’t drive themselves.”
Ty’s center will be open for 12 hours a day. Visitors can stay for the entire day or for as short as an hour. Lunch will be served, as well as snacks. Coffee will be available all day.
It’s a nearly 3,000-square-foot facility that has a large, central gathering area, a kitchen and dining room, smaller rooms for hobbies, and even two bedrooms for people to catch a nap, if needed. There will be TVs in every room.
“We’ll have games, Bingo, and art classes,” said Ty. “We’ll have a pool table and woodworking available. We’ll also have a private area for people to take any medication that’s needed.”
Ty says his staff will include an LPN, social workers and several volunteers. He said he’s worked with UCARTS so prospective clients can get dropped off and picked up at his business for $1 a day.
Once all his licensing is complete, he’ll be able to accommodate 23 people. “I don’t think we’ll ever reach 23, but that’s how many we’ll be able to have,” said Ty.
Ty has an interesting story, having worked for years with the state of Tennessee in mental health as a psychiatric medical manager. He was responsible for overseeing the care of 57 patients with schizophrenia. I asked Ty if that was as bad as it sounds.
“Some of them were scary,” said Ty, who said one patient snuck up behind him and stabbed him in the back with a sharp pencil. “Most of them were OK if they had their medication. Others were very sick.”
Ty said he learned to always keep his back to a wall when dealing with certain patients. He said it was a challenging job and one where he was on call 24-7.
He’s not envisioning this new venture in adult day care to put his safety in as much jeopardy. I think it will be a great service for the community for anyone who has an older person in their life who could benefit from time away from home.
There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony at Hazel Chandler Adult Day Services on Dec. 15 at noon. Ty says he will be open before that date. For more information, call (865) 771-5542.

Changes at old Shockley Carpet

Pretty Things has left its familiar spot on Chancery Street and moved to Plaza Shopping Center next to Stacked Bistro. Thinking there might be some bigger plans behind this move, I called D.M. Simpson, who has purchased the old Shockley Carpet location where Pretty Things used to operate.
“I wish I had something big,” he told me Friday. “Right now, I’m not trying to sell it very hard. I’m just trying to lease it.”
The property, which is located between Little Caesars and the clean-up shop, has three buildings. Pretty Things moved out of one building and it remains vacant. The other retail building near the road will soon be home to The Purple Lion, a tattoo parlor. I talked to business owner Charles Boyd on Friday and he told me the move should be complete in early January.
“It’s more visibility and this will get me down to a bottom floor,” said Charles, who has been operating The Purple Lion from a second-floor location on Main Street for more than a year.
I told Charles I’d swing by and give him a more complete write up when he gets moved in. Until that time, The Purple Lion can be reached at (931) 304-3469.

That’s all folks

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