Jackson Jambalaya

To stay consistent with my handle, this looks like low hanging fruit for the Jacktown thugs to rob.

But not to worry as I always have at least one equalizer.

Carry on.

Sam, just make sure you don't defend yourself in Hinds County. Don't you know these urban yoots are stealing out of necessity, and YOU'RE the bad guy??

Hopefully it is better than the one in Pearl. Overrated is an understatement.

Hope it’s run better than the one in Pearl

@12:43/12:59- ...same owner, so expect more of the same. One of Pearl’s biggest issues is workforce. I foresee that also being an issue in Clinton.

It will only be as good as its employees, odds are it will not be very good.

A Steak and Shake is hardly “economic development” but such is life in good ole Mississippi

Pearl is extremely overrated. First time I ate there I waited 45 min for a burger and fries that tasted awful. Second time was just as bad. There won’t be a third time.

The lead in says it will be the Metro's second. I may be mistaken, but I believe there's one in the Northpark Mall Food Court, another in Pearl and one in Gluckstadt. If that's true, this will be at least the fourth.

Hope its better than the one in Pearl. The one time I went, I was seated and waited 20 minutes and no waiters came and took my order. I got up and left and went to DQ down the street.

Great news for Clinton! They are hurting bad for any establishment there that isn't Asian or Mexican.

While I'm glad to see another restaurant in the metro, the problem is that the workforce will most likely consist of young Jacksonians, which seems to consistently correlate with poor customer service and general indifference.

1:40 PM I believe that is steak escape your thinking of. :)

Only in Mississippi do we call a hamburger joint "economic development".

Yeah, it's hard to see a very average (and greasy) burger joint creating a lot of economic development for Clinton or any other city/town. I've been to the one in Pearl once, and I won't be going back. You get what you pay for.........cheap, greasy food and bad service.

@1:40 - you are mistaken

Not one in Gluckstadt

Those of you complaining about the workforce, get behind Refill Cafe in Jackson. It's a non-profit workforce development program. I work Downtown, and initially went to support the program, but it's a great lunch spot. The food is fresh and flavorful, and the service is really good. Great training ground for area restaurants and other businesses.
https://refillcafejackson.com/

All of these joints will eventually have three cars in the parking lot. Take the Taco Bell in Madison. Upon announcement and opening, it was all the rage. Excellent location, nice venue, clean floors, smiling faces...then it went to shit in three months with employees who are so typical of the Madison County workforce. Trash on the floor, hamburger meat under the tables, nasty windows, snarky wait staff. The typical Popeyes' rejects, if you can imagine that. 200 tacos per month ain't gonna pay the rent.

I'm not sure any place like this will 'make it' in the metro beyond a four month start-up boom, followed by patrons who are obviously the unemployed lounge-lizards. And I'm trying very hard to be fair.

Another example of this type of failure was the Billups dive in Madison. Seemed sort of high-end. Great location, fabulous decorations, menu, pictures and furnishings. Then they hired a crew that could not get on at Stuckeys and the place went to shit and closed down in less than a year.

Then they hired a crew that could not get on at Stuckeys and the place went to s...

Hey...stand at ease, Bubba. I kinda like Stuckeys.

It is difficult to find decent employees in the Metro Area for fast-food joints, because the pay is minimum wage.

The higher end restaurants can pay more, and can thus demand quality employees, so the fast-food joints for the most part get the losers. There are always exceptions, notably the three Subways in Madison - great service with a smile.

The Madison Main Street Taco Bell is slammed daily on Nextdoor Madison. Local residents have contacted the corporate offices in vain.

"I kinda like Stuckeys."

Same here 5:55 !
Are there any Stuckeys left ?

I've never visited a Steak & Shake, but I have fond memories of Stuckeys.

Cheap/gaudy souvenirs and nasty "pecan logs".

LOL !

But still a part of 1960's road trips in the American South !

Oh yeah , , , at the end of the vacation . . . we were always ready to back to Jackson and have some veal cutlets at the Elite.

This is a huge win for Phil Bryant and company especially since it's right before they leave office. They finally have something tangible they can point to that Mississippians can be proud of. Job well done guys.

considering that mississippi is the runaway leader in obesity with about 40% of the population too fat to walk one hundred yards, its no wonder places like this open up here.

In the sense of a definition of "economic development" as creating value/wealth, it does meet that test. It creates jobs for numerous people to build it and later work there plus it creates sales and property taxes to benefit government and schools. Also, note that no subsidies or incentives were necessary to facilitate this investment.

Good job, Clinton. Keep up the great work.

Stuckeys - there's still one in Madison. They still have all of the Stuckey's branded candy and nuts.

Billups - has done well in other parts of the state.

Workforce....yes, all of this "growth" being announced all over the metro is chasing after the same uninterested, uninspired, uneducated workforce. Bad owners, bad managers and bad employees lead to bad results.

Hattiesburg faces the same dilemma, but occasionally you get a guy like Robert St. John who invests in his people rather than throw a sign on a building and hope for good results. Add Jeff Good to that short list. It takes real commitment to open a business in Mississippi. You are basically starting from scratch teaching kids how to work and how to act.

There's a Stuckey's at the north entrance to Hattiesburg. Primarily used as a bathroom and gasoline pump venue. They still have pecan logs and salt and pepper shakers with Mississippi stamped on them. But, the employees...well.

There is no excuse for the quality of the fast food employees throughout Madison, Jackson and Clinton. To prove that point, take a look at ANY Chick-Fil-A. And check out Firehouse Subs in Madison and their friendly staff. They both recruit in the same labor market area and have virtually no turnover.

Minimum wage should not be an issue. Pay a dollar and a half more and increase your customer traffic by 35%. Is that a no-brainer or what? Otherwise you'll become Taco Bell, Popeyes, McDonalds, Burger King and the Madison Subway (where English is not spoken). Oh...check the Madison McAllister's employee base now as compared to six years ago, and that includes management.

@7:07 AM - Huh? There are three Subways in Madison, not one. I mostly patronize the Highway 51 venue, but occasionally the venue near Home Depot. They have always provided friendly, professional service. I don't know what you mean by English is not spoken. Two of the ladies at the 51 venue speak with an accent (one from Nepal and one from India), but they certainly speak understandable English.

Yeah, I went to the Steak ‘n’ Shake in Pearl, once, because the Frisco Deli looked to be crowded up and I was in the mood for a burger. My experience was the same as some other posters, the service was okay but the food was nothing above average and somewhat tasteless. The place was noisy. Not going back. By the way, kudos to the guys at the Frisco Deli, always good food, fast, efficient service, and a clean eating area.

I, too, patronize the Subway on 51 in Ridgeland. The owner and other employees are unfailingly polite and the service fast and efficient. The other posters are also correct with regard to Chick-Fil-A. The one in Madison is an archetype for the way a fast food place can be run.

8:10, you're right about the location. I referred to the Highway 51 Subway in downtown Madison if that nails down your location query. I have no idea, and could not care less, where 'those ladies' are 'from'. The fact that they can neither understand nor speak proper English caused me to simply walk out after trying for ten minutes to place a sandwich order. First all the motels. Then all the gas stations. Next, all the fast food joints.

@7:31
Hey you racist piece of trash. You forgot Fortune 500 CEOs like Microsoft and Alphabet, Inc. Oh and Trump's head of the FCC too. The future is Indian and Chinese. Mediocre white bigots are getting left behind.

9:02 - I'm not interested in Microsoft and Alphabet and Trump's FCC. I am interested in being to place an order at the 51 Madison Subway where it's impossible to communicate with the woman behind the counter. Nothing to suggest racism, but, if they intend to provide customer service and sell sandwiches, the staff needs to understand and speak the predominant community language, which is (wait for it)..English.

Shake and Steak, Steak and Shake, Steak Escape, Steak Palace, Pasture and Sea....all the same dives. What the hell? I'm waiting on a steak and pineapple pizza at the Taco Bell in MadCo.