Roundup: Zaxby’s heads north, sushi in Carmel, pizza in Fishers

Georgia-based chicken chain Zaxby’s is headed for central Indiana’s  northern ’burbs.

Franchisee Longwood Restaurant Group is working to open the first local Zaxby’s late this year in Fishers Marketplace, the 104-acre mixed-use project rising from a former golf course at State Road 37 and 131st Street.

Longwood has the licensing rights for six restaurants in Indianapolis and points north, a representative told IBJ. Other locations in Hamilton County have been identified but will remain on ice until the Fishers site opens.

Founded in 1990, the fast-casual restaurants specialize in chicken fingers and chicken wings. Its menu also includes sandwiches and entrée salads.

The chain has more than 500 locations, mostly in the Southeast. The only two in Indiana now are in Jeffersonville and New Albany, just over the border from Kentucky.

Zaxby’s signed on as a sponsor for IU and Purdue athletics in April, raising eyebrows given its limited presence anywhere near the universities. Now the move makes sense.

Also based in Georgia, Longwood was drawn to Hamilton County by its upscale demographic and growing national reputation. Partners researched communities in South Florida, Texas and Missouri before choosing Indiana.

Zaxby’s will occupy a 3,600-square-foot building on the northern edge of Fishers Marketplace’s retail district. As North of 96th reported last month, a Walmart Neighborhood Market is under construction on the property, which also will be home to City Barbeque and Lake City Bank locations.

In other retail news:

— Hino Oishi Hibachi & Sushi is under construction in the 5,000-square-foot former Wings Etc. space in Carmel’s Maplecrest Commons, 10491 Walnut Creek Drive, near a Goodwill store.

— Jack’s Donuts in Fishers soon will have a new neighbor: South Chicago Pizza and Italian Beef. The Indianapolis eatery’s second location will occupy about 2,500 square feet of space at 13578 E. 131st St., near Olio Road.

— The Pizza Hut location at 11722 Allisonville Road in Fishers has closed and will reopen later this year as a Pizza Hut Wing Street delivery/carry-out service. The 8,600-square-foot restaurant is being transformed into a multi-tenant retail building.

— Resale shop Simply Chic is planning a Noblesville location, at 14765 Hazel Dell Crossing. The store, which sells used women’s apparel and accessories, also has operations on 96th Street in Fishers and 86th Street in Indianapolis.

— Noblesville mainstay Eddie’s Corner Café will close for good July 31, The Times of Noblesville reported. Owner Eddie Mode told the newspaper that the building at Logan and 10th Streets recently sold, and the new owners have other plans for the space. The café has been in that location for 13 years.