new restaurant to open on chapman

By Brooke Stevenson
In as soon as two weeks a new business will move into the building once occupied by the Seymour Starbucks.
    If the renovations are completed on time, Long John Silver’s is scheduled to move into the now vacant building at 10646 Chapman Highway on Nov. 16.
    Starbucks occupied this space for almost two years before the announcement that it was to be one of the stores to close in the company’s nationwide downsizing effort.
    The store was one of two Tennessee stores to close in 2009 due to poor store sales and the lagging economy.
    It was announced in April that the store would be closing and its 20 employees would be out of a job.
    Currently, the entire building is being completely remodeled inside and out, according to Long John Silver’s Regional Manager Charlie Perkins. “It is basically a total strip of everything inside,” he said, “so everything is going to be brand new.”
    The Long John Silver’s staff members are ready to move in, but the opening date depends on construction and the delivery of equipment, Perkins said.
    The store, which is privately owned by Charter Foods LLC of Morristown, will employee nearly 60 people. Some of these employees are currently being trained at the Long John Silver’s in Sevierville.
    This will be the second time that Long John Silver’s has moved into a closed Starbucks store in the region.Perkins said the restaurant chain moved into a closed Starbucks in Paris Kentucky and the since then the restaurant has thrived. “We expect the same out of the Seymour restaurant,” he said. “It is a great location, a great town with great people and it has a lot of good candidates for employees.”