A familiar restaurant property in Hiram could soon get a new life. Plans are moving forward for a proposed Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen at the former O’Charley’s restaurant at 4790 Jimmy Lee Smith Parkway near Hiram Pavilion. Public property listings identify the site as the former O’Charley’s location.
Construction information updated September 25 shows the project currently in the general contractor bidding stage. Plans call for an approximately $1.85 million renovation of the one-story restaurant building, with the completed space totaling about 8,112 square feet. The project is listed as a private restaurant renovation, with bidding currently limited to invited and pre-qualified general contractors.
Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen is a casual dining restaurant known for preparing many of its dishes from scratch, including hand-breaded chicken tenders, homemade chicken pot pie, baby back ribs, the Monte Cristo sandwich and its popular honey butter croissants. The company describes its restaurants as offering homestyle meals in a comfortable, family-friendly setting.
The restaurant chain got its start in Arlington, Texas, in 1979, when Doug Rogers and Aubrey Good opened the first location. The company later changed its name from Cheddar’s Casual Cafe to Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen and became part of Darden Restaurants in 2017. Today, Cheddar’s operates more than 180 restaurants across 27 states. Darden also operates several other major restaurant brands, including Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse.
The proposed Hiram location would bring another national restaurant name to the busy Highway 278 commercial corridor and reuse a longtime restaurant property rather than building on a completely new site.
The project remains in the bidding and planning process, and an opening date has not been announced. The City Menus will continue following the project as additional details become available.
File Photo of another area location: Bren Williamson of The City Menus
