I need to be honest, y’all. There aren’t too many places around Starkville to remind me of my home state of Texas.
But Craig and Michele Fant, owners of Taste and Bluto’s Greek Tavern, aim to change that, and not just for me.
The Fants are working on their latest restaurant, The Joint, a Texas barbeque place located in the former Breakfast Club building at 105 Eckford Drive, right off Highway 12.
After spending time visiting several local barbeque joints in the Lone Star State, Fant told me she and her husband wanted to bring a new flavor to Starkville.
“We just wanted to bring a different type of barbecue to Starkville,” Fant said. “We wanted to be as true to Texas-style barbecue as we could. We also ship in post oak wood and use all the same meats that they use in Texas. Even inside of the building, we tried to make it as Texas-style as possible to keep it authentic.”
Right now, the building is still being renovated. Once complete, the restaurant will feature Texas barbeque staples like whole smoked hogs, beef ribs, cow tips and brisket, to name a few menu items I’ll certainly be using to reminisce about my childhood.
The restaurant is expected to open Aug. 2, Fant said.
Next up is Rick Welch, owner of Rick’s Cafe at 319 Hwy. 182, who is adding a dog bar and play area for patrons where the cafe’s tiki bar once stood.
Welch said he wanted to add the bar after having several regular events at the cafe featuring pets.
“We’ve had some events at the outside bar called yappy hour, where we would do fundraisers, or the Oktibbeha Humane Society would just do a one-day event,” Welch said. “We’d have little kiddie pools and all that kind of stuff, and I just had the idea of why not make it a permanent thing.”
The dog bar will feature a play area for your pets and even dog-themed cocktails for human consumption. For those interested in the bar, patrons can sign up for memberships after a soft opening event Thursday.
To be eligible, dog owners will need to submit current shot records, a picture and dogs must be spayed or neutered before entering.
Memberships will also cost some money, but Welch said more information on how to sign up and what it will cost will come later. Hours for the bar will be Thursday through Saturday 3-10 p.m.
Moving to Columbus, a new Family Dollar is under construction at 850 Tuscaloosa Road, right next to the 12-50 Package Store.
Family Dollar is a chain of discount retail and general merchandise stores owned by Dollar Tree, Inc. Personally, I love shopping for the cheaper holiday goods they sell.
I went out to the site Wednesday and a Capstone Construction employee said that work on the property began in May. The concrete slab for the building has been finished, and all that is left now is building the parking lot and the store.
I couldn’t get in touch with Kristin Tetreault, senior vice president and chief communications officer for the company, to talk about an opening date, but here is hoping we see construction move along quickly.
Finally, my friends, Tanya Cockrell is opening 4D Healthcare, a family medical and psychiatric care facility at 1324 Military Road, on June 29.
Cockrell said she decided to open her own clinic in 2022 after working as a nurse practitioner since 2014. She said after seeing the harmful effects of COVID-19, she became motivated to offer more mental health services.
“I realized you have to take care of the whole patient, and it was kind of hard to take care of the entire patient when they can’t function mentally,” she said. “I wanted to bring that to Columbus.”
The clinic will include a general family practice for patients to receive checkups, physicals, shots and chronic illness checks. The mental health portion will focus on assisting patients with anxiety and depression management and diagnosing mental illness.
Well, folks, that’s all for now, be safe this weekend and stay cool. Make sure to check back in next week for more goings on in business.
Dispatch reporter Grant McLaughlin writes about business openings and closings, as well as other unique business news. Send business tips to [email protected].
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