Gateway Marketplace developer lands steakhouse tenant

Lebanon is getting a Logan's.

Logan’s Roadhouse, a steakhouse chain with locations in Noblesville, Greenwood and Plainfield, will open a restaurant in the Gateway Marketplace development, the city announced Monday.

Blue Ridge Hotel Partners, a hospitality developer and management company, is opening the eatery and chose Lebanon after seeing the growth taking place in the area, along with the need for more dining options, the city said in a news release. The timing of the restaurant's debut wasn't immediately clear.

“Early in the process, city representatives were asked for a list of desired restaurants to be sought as part of this project,” Lebanon Mayor Matt Gentry said in a media release. "A number of residents have told me that a family-friendly steakhouse was one thing our community needed.”

Blue Ridge also recently agreed to own and operate an Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom near Indianapolis International Airport. It's the 43-year-old chain's first foray into the Indianapolis market.

Logan's Roadhouse opened its first restaurant in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1991, and then a second restaurant in Nashville in 1992. The company went public in 1995. The company describes the eatery on its website as a laid-back place "where you can crack open a cold one, throw your peanut shells on the floor and enjoy steakhouse quality meat in the comfort of jeans and a t-shirt."

As of 2017, Logan's counted 214 corporate and franchised restaurants in 23 states.

Located near Interstate 65 and State Road 32, Gateway Marketplace is being developed by Indianapolis-based KenMar LLC. The full project is 25 acres and expected to include restaurants and shops, a hotel and a medical office complex.

Additional restaurant and retail announcements for Gateway Marketplace are expected in coming days.