In the past few weeks, redevelopment plans have been announced for three empty restaurant sites in high-profile locations. First, Chef Derek Chang bought the empty O'Charley's/Damon's building in CitiPlace so he could move Koto, his popular College Drive sushi restaurant. Then the empty Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon on Acadian Thruway just south of Interstate 10 was purchased by Coyote Blues. Plans are to demolish the building and replace it with a local version of the crowd pleasing Lafayette-based Mexican restaurant. Finally, it was announced that the Dreaux's Grill/Dreamland BBQ site in the Southdowns Shopping Center would be turned into the local version of The Bulldog, a New Orleans tavern. In each case, the buildings had only been vacant for a few months.
But what about the Smokey Bones site? The Siegen Lane building has been empty for a year now, when parent company Darden Restaurants pulled the plug on the barbecue chain. It's in a high traffic location, near casual dining restaurants that often have crowded parking lots (Olive Garden, Hooters). Darden, which owns the Red Lobster and Olive Garden brands, says it is marketing the Smokey Bones building for sale.--Timothy Boone
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