Business Plan Proposed for Blue Rooster Site

Lilburn's Downtown Development Authority has another candidate to consider for the Blue Rooster building on Main Street that's been vacant for more than a year: A local couple would like to open a cafe offering healthy sandwiches, soups and salads.

The eatery would highlight the history of the building and the railroad in Lilburn, Nathan and Rebecca Calhoun told the DDA Wednesday night, "an old-town railroad theme with decor and music to match," according to Rebecca Calhoun.

The couple presented a business plan at the DDA's Wednesday night meeting. At last month's meeting, Candace Hawkins gave a presentation on the Southern/Creole restaurant she would like to open there. A few other people have expressed interest in the building, said Doug Stacks, director of planning and economic development for the city, and they will give presentations at meetings in the near future. The DDA board will then decide who will get the lease.

The Calhouns have also been talking with Scott Mecredy, who owns Music on Main Street, located across the parking lot from the Blue Rooster building, about the possiblity of offering live music at the cafe in order to become a destination for people looking for good food, spirits and entertainment.

"I really liked what they had to say," Mecredy told the DDA. It's "exactly what I'd been hoping for."

The Calhouns would start by offering breakfast and lunch every day except Sunday, and eventually would be open for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights.

Rebecca is a graduate of the Gwinnett Tech Culinary Arts program and has experience ranging from Waffle House to catering and the Blue House in Norcross. The menu the couple proposes for the Blue Rooster property would be similar to what the Blue House offers, she said.

The DDA bought the Blue Rooster property last fall in a bid to get a business in there as quickly as possible. People had expressed interest in renting the place, Stacks said back then, but the bank that owned it could only sell it, not rent it out. Too, by buying the place, the DDA can determine what sort of business moves into it.