O’Charley’s to locate in London; Corbin businessman says city needs Sunday sales

A London investor and restaurant owner announced Monday that an O’Charley’s. Inc. will be building a new restaurant near Cracker Barrell on development property known as Shiloh Landing.
Scott Smith, owner of Shiloh’s Restaurant in London and an investor in Shiloh Landing, confirmed Monday that O’Charley’s intended to locate in London.
London city voters approved a referendum in Nov. 2004 that would allow restaurants located in the city to sell alcohol … similar to a measure passed by Corbin voters over a year earlier.
Local developer Jim Vance, the main architect of the Corbin vote in 2003, said there’s one significant difference between alcohol sales in the two cities – London will allow Sunday sales and Corbin will not. That difference, he says, has prevented chain restaurants like O’Charley’s, Applebees, Red Lobster and a host of others from locating in the city.
“Without Sunday sales, the chance of us getting a franchise restaurant is almost nil,” he said. “We talked to Applebees and and Ruby Tuesdays and all of them when we first went wet and that was their big concern. The word that got back to us was, without Sunday sales, they wouldn’t consider us.”
The Corbin City Commission voted down the option of Sunday sales shortly 3-2 shortly after the referendum passed. Vance said he thinks the issues needs to be reconsidered.
Corbin Mayor Amos Miller said he knows of no movement by commissioners to revisit Sunday sales and added he thinks Corbin’s restaurants have done quite well without it. The city currently has six restaurants that serve alcohol.
“I’m very happy with The Depot on Main. I’m very happy with the Vintage House and O’Malley’s and Buckners and all of them,” he said. “I like the idea that our local people are doing good … Would you rather see local people keep the money from it or see it sent to Charlotte, NC or someplace like that.”