BUSINESS BONANZA: Chamber head says ‘Destin is an attractive place to do business' (PHOTOS)

With the outlook for economic development looking dim in most parts of the country, business is picking up in Destin.

With Rooms To Go and Lowe’s currently under construction and slated to open this year, the business landscape of Destin is expanding as Little Ceasars, Big Lots, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company and Miller’s Ale House are slated to open their doors in the upcoming months.

Destin Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Shane Moody told The Log that he welcomes the new businesses.

“This is great for our area,” he said. “They are going to help bring back some of the resources the city and the county need to continue with infrastructure projects.”

Jupiter, Fla. based Miller’s Ale House has submitted its application to the city of Destin to move into and expand the old O’ Charley’s restaurant in Crystal Beach Plaza. The Ale House chain currently has 57 locations, with the closest being in Pensacola.

Shane Feemster, of RPC General Contractor, Inc, is the design architect on the Ale House project and said that the restaurant is slated to be open in time for football season, which would kick off in September.

“Ale House has really exploded,” Feemster told The Log Thursday. “No one can compete with their price point, they have done a great job of appealing to people — not to mention the food is really good.”

Feemster said that the restaurant is going to be 8,077 square-feet and would have a full bar, outdoor patio and a nautical theme.

“You can expect great food and a great time,” he said. “We are excited about this; it’s going to be a good fit.”

Just a few miles to the east, Destin residents will see Landry’s close its doors and make way for Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. “Food is the hero” at this seafood chain that has locations everywhere from New Orleans and Chicago to Hong Kong and Osaka.

According to Jaime Sava, from the company’s public relations firm, the restaurant will begin hiring Monday and is expected to open its doors at the end of May.

Sticking with the food, Little Caesars Pizza will now call Destin home when it opens its doors just a few steps away from Another Broken Egg Café.

The pizzeria that boasts “quality and value” has been slinging out hot pies since 1959, when Mike and Marian Ilitch opened their first Little Caesars restaurant in Garden City, Michigan.

For the bargain shopper, Columbus, Ohio-based Big Lots has found a new home at the Shoppes at Paradise Isle, between Michael’s and Best Buy.

Toni Fink, a spokesperson for Big Lots, told The Log that the store is scheduled to open in early to mid-June and would have an official grand opening in the first few weeks.

Big Lots offers everything from everyday consumables and housewares to toys and seasonal goods. According to its website, “Big Lots offers amazing values that other stores just can’t match.”

As a “way to say thanks” for welcoming Big Lots to the area, Fink said that the store would be donating $2,500 to Destin Middle School as part of their grand opening tradition.

When The Log asked Moody if he thought the new businesses opening their doors in Destin was an indicator of things to come in the near future, he said “hopefully.”

“It’s a positive sign that Destin is an attractive place to do business and hopefully a signal that there is a turn in the economy.”