Ocean Fish and Fried Chicken, 1913B Hwy. 45, is coming soon.

With Yummy Teriyaki closing in November, it looks like another restaurant is poised to take its place. A banner is hanging announcing “Ocean Fish and Fried Chicken coming soon,” but no permits have been filed with the Columbus Building Department. As of now, there isn’t a business listing on the Secretary of State’s website. Hopefully, we’ll have more details coming soon.

Moving over to Starkville, a new venue has officially opened.

Under-Rated Venue, 317 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive E., is now open and available for rent.

Owner Gwendolyn Gray opened the 125-person venue to fill a need in the community. The rental space includes tables, chairs and a prep kitchen available each day of the week. Gray wants to offer space for the public to rent but also serve as a place for the community to grow.

“I want to start programs for at-risk families and parents to talk about community issues,” she said. “… There’s so many things we can get involved in to reach the community and some of the needs of the community.”

Gray said she’ll use “downtime” when the venue isn’t being rented to serve the people in the area. She said the venue is perfect for small gatherings, award ceremonies, baby showers, banquets, fundraisers and more. Even after opening just last week, Gray has already seen a large interest for Under-Rated.

“People have been really coming by already,” she said. “… It’s been a blessing, truly a blessing.”

Also in Starkvegas, a spot to hone your baseball and softball skills is officially open.

Sports Performance Center, 4875 Oktoc Road, is open 3-9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays and 2-9 p.m. on Sundays. The training facility offers cage rentals, lessons, camps, clinics and reservations for parties with pitching machines and hitting simulators. Baseball and softball season are around the corner so check out the new facility to work on your swing.

I know it’s only January, but Mardi Gras season is creeping up and it’s always a good time for king cakes. Since the snow-pocalypse is happening in my parent’s neck of the woods, I can’t get my King Cake fix this weekend but there’s plenty of options in the Golden Triangle to help you laissez les bons temps rouler.

There’s options in West Point, Starkville and Columbus this year so check out Power of the Almond, TBT Butcher Shop and Seafood Market, The Coffee Depot, Dolce, Jubilations, Taylor Made Cakes and Easy E Cakes to put you in the right season. I’m sure there’s plenty more King Cake options around these towns and I plan to test them all against my all-time favorites from New Orleans and the coast.

Stay warm out there, guys. Keep those business tips rolling and I’ll see you next week.

Former Dispatch reporter Mary Pollitz writes weekly about interesting business news. Have a tip? Send it to [email protected].