Restaurant to Start Construction Next Spring

O'Charley's plans to start construction on a restaurant at the corner of Whitney and Pearl roads in the early spring, according to Liz Fiorino, regional marketing director for Covelli Enterprises, which will own the franchise here.

Fiorino said the Warren, OH-based Covelli Enterprises already owns and operates five other O'Charley's locations in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida, and is the largest franchisee of Panera Bread, with 240 stores — including one in Strongsville.

"Covelli Enterprises looks forward to opening another store location in Strongsville, where they already have a loyal customer base for their Panera Bread on Royalton Road," Fiorino said.

O'Charley's, a Tennessee-based chain of family restaurants, indicated in early 2012 it wanted to build a 200-seat restaurant at the corner of Whitney and Pearl roads.

It was part of a project outlined by WXZ Development Inc. that also included a Sheetz gas station.

Sheetz has since submitted plans and is moving forward, but Strongsville officials had noted that O'Charley's has been silent since a rezoning for the propertywas approved last year.