All up in your business for Sept. 12, 2014

Al’s Burger Shack celebrates one year

In celebration of its first anniversary, Al’s Burger Shack hosted a burger recipe contest and selected the cook-off winners on Wednesday. 

Customers submitted burger recipes, and the restaurant put together a panel of local business owners, including the restaurant’s owner and judges from Italian Pizzeria III, Rumors boutique and Beer Study, to taste test and determine the final three winners. 

The first place winner was the Aloha, a grilled beef burger topped with gruyere, grilled pineapple, sliced red onion, ginger-teriyaki aioli and fresh jalapenos.

Catie Pike, a cashier at the restaurant, said the finalists won free T-shirts and had the opportunity to display their burgers on the special menu board. If customers like the burger, it will become a permanent offer.

“If everybody likes it, and it sells more, we could very easily put it on the menu,” Pike said.

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Mediterranean Deli plans for market

Mediterranean Deli is planning to open a market at 141 W. Franklin St., former location of the Time After Time Vintage Thrift shop.

The restaurant has been a Franklin Street favorite for more than 20 years.

“It has been a dream of our owners to open up a new market, a market that provides top-notch Middle Eastern groceries,” said Parker Emmerson, manager of Mediterranean Deli.

He said he and the restaurant’s owners decided to buy the location when it became available in April. The market will be right next door to the restaurant.

“It just so happens that this opportunity became available,” Emmerson said.

Emmerson said the market will provide different kinds of cheese, coffee and other groceries from the Middle East and Mediterranean areas.

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Time-Out reopens at new location

Time-Out reopened Sept. 5 in its new location at 201 E. Franklin St., on the corner of Henderson Street and Franklin Street.

The restaurant had to find a new home because its former location at University Square is being demolished.

The restaurant, which has been open since 1978, still has the same menu and is still open 24 hours. But now, it offers delivery 24 hours a day, seven days a week as well.

Ira Green, special events manager of Time-Out, said since the restaurant just reopened, many old customers don’t know about it’s new location. 

Green said he was very pleased about the business that came by during the weekend for the football game. He said the new place has high visibility and the restaurant now has television. 

“There were rumors that we closed the other place and were just doing food trucks, which was never true,” he said.