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Tuesday, Aug. 18, 1998
On Retailing
Wahoo's opens second, bigger restaurant for Southside dinner crowd
Owners hope lunch customers at downtown location will come back for more
Carlton and Jennifer Quick, the twenty-something couple who launched Wahoo's downtown on St. Patrick's Day in 1997, are now hoping professional types that fill their small Cajun seafood restaurant on Water Street at lunchtime will come back for dinner at their new, larger restaurant.
On Monday, the Quicks opened a new 5,000-square-foot Wahoo's at Copperfield Shopping Center, 5702 S. Staples St., at the site of the former Huey's Cafe.
The new restaurant has the same menu as its downtown cousin but seats twice as many people. It took the husband-and-wife restaurateurs three months to remodel the space, which was ``a big, white, sterile, linoleum-floored building,'' Jennifer recalls.
Now, the interior sports turquoise walls with black trim, electric-powered street lanterns, colorful Bourbon Street-themed murals by local artist Jill Pankey and vinyl window framing that resembles wrought-iron lattice work.
Carlton, 28, and Jennifer, 27, turned down corporate jobs with mega-restaurant company Brinker International (owner of Chili's, Romano's Macaroni Grill, etc.) to move to Corpus Christi and open the original Wahoo's last year.
The Quicks found success with weekday lunch crowds and tourists, who fill the 1,700 square-foot downtown restaurant on Friday and Saturday nights. But they discovered that those who work downtown don't necessarily stick around or come back for dinner. The solution: open another restaurant closer to where many of their customers live.
``We're hoping our reputation carries to this side of town,'' said Jennifer, a 1989 Rockport High School graduate.
While they have their hands full now, the Quicks ultimately hope to expand beyond Corpus Christi in the future, and bottle their own brand of Cajun ketchup and hot sauce.
THE MALLS
Change is on the horizon at both Sunrise Mall and Padre Staples Mall.
Sunrise Mall General Manager Keith Schiff said several new stores are anticipated to open for the 1998 holiday season including: a national retailer specializing in home furnishings and gifts; a local deli; a jewelry store; and a Houston-based retailer that sells men's apparel and accessories. Names of stores will be announced when leases are confirmed, he said.
One new store that has been announced is Pretzel Works, a national retailer that sells fresh-baked pretzels. It will soon open on the mall's first floor, Schiff said.
Across the street, Padre Staples Mall could have several new additions in the next several months, said General Manager Jim Baxter.
Among the new stores: Three Guys Wireless will open a 1,149-square-foot store on Saturday, Baxter said. Spencer Gifts, a 1,700-square-foot gift and novelty shop, will open Aug. 28.
Also on Aug. 28, Disc Jockey, a music store, and Reel Collections, a video store, will become a single, 5,800 square-foot shop. It will keep the Disc Jockey name. Both retailers are owned by Kentucky-based Waxworks Inc.
ARBY'S
What could be the largest Arby's restaurant in Texas will open Friday at 5649 Saratoga Blvd. across from Spohn South Hospital.
At 3,300 square-feet, the restaurant will feature cathedral ceilings, indirect lighting and illuminated awnings. ``It just doesn't look like your average fast-food place,'' notes franchisee Bill Wilson.
The cost of the new restaurant and land was about $1.1 million. It will employ 50 people.
Wilson also owns the Arby's at 4811 S. Staples St., which he's had for eight years.
He chose the Staples-Saratoga location for the new venture for obvious reasons. ``This is a growing part of Corpus. We have a lot to pull from here: businesses, hospitals and, of course, homes in this area,'' he said.
On Retailing is published each Tuesday in the Caller-Times Business section. On Retailing items include new, relocated and expanded retail businesses. Items for consideration should be submitted on letterhead by companies, not individuals. Send items to: On Retailing, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, P.O. Box 9136, Corpus Christi, Texas 78469; e-mail Jeffrey Tomich at tomichj@scripps.com, or fax (512) 886-3732.Post your comments about local news eventsFront Page || Main Index || News || Business || Texas || South Texas Outdoors || Birdwatching || Sports || Entertainment || Selena || Education || South Texas Attractions || World Wide Web