AC repair inStatesboro, GA

There are few things Statesboro citizens like more than a new place to eat. With all of the growth coming to the area, Statesboro is drawing a lot of interest from restaurant and retail chains. With over 3,000 new homes planned in the city, Statesboro is a very attractive market for new businesses. 2024 promises to be an exciting year for new business entry and announcements.

Below are the new restaurants that Grice Connect has confirmed as of the publishing of this story that will be opening in 2024.

These are in no particular order. Click on the headlines below to read the full story on each new restaurant.

Statesboro's Jim 'N Nick's opening in January - Grice Connect

Statesboro will have to wait few more weeks for the opening of Jim 'N Nick's Community Bar-B-Q located at 24106 Highway 80 East, beside Harbor Freight Tools and across from Lowe's. They have scheduled the opening for January 24, 2024.

Third Chick-Fil-A coming to Statesboro - Grice Connect

The City of Statesboro has confirmed permitting has begun on Statesboro's third Chick-Fil-A restaurant. The much anticipated third Chick-Fil-A is exciting news for all the Chick-Fil-A fans in our community.

Construction has begun on Huey Magoo's chicken tenders restaurant - Grice Connect

Another new restaurant is coming to Statesboro, GA. Construction has begun on Huey Magoo's Chicken Tenders restaurant in the Publix shopping center.

Popeyes and Dunkin coming to Hwy. 80 East - Grice Connect

A new Popeyes and Dunkin is coming to Statesboro. They owner hopes to have them both operational by early 2024. Click on the picture to read all about it.

Sully's Steamers coming soon to Statesboro - Grice Connect

Matthew Tyson, a lifelong resident of Statesboro is bringing Sully’s Steamers, a steamed bagel sandwich franchise, to Statesboro. They are projecting an early 2024 opening in the Market District.

Slim Chickens entering Statesboro Market at former Hardees - Grice Connect

More chicken is coming to Statesboro. Slim Chickens will soon be open in the former Hardees on Northside Drive East near Food Lion. Learn more about Slim Chickens in the story.

Texas Roadhouse, Jim 'N Nick's, Five Guys construction moving forward

After months of speculation, Grice Connect has confirmed Texas Roadhouse, Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q, and Five Guys are entering the Statesboro market.

Third Statesboro Starbucks under construction - Grice Connect

Statesboro will get a fresh, new Starbucks experience soon with the construction of the third Starbucks, which is underway now. Read all about it in the story below.

Statesboro will have to wait a few more weeks for the opening of Jim 'N Nick's Community Bar-B-Q located at 24106 Highway 80 East, beside Harbor Freight Tools and across from Lowe's. They have scheduled the opening for January 24, 2024.

Listen to this article 00:02:37

Statesboro will have to wait few more weeks for the opening of Jim 'N Nick's Community Bar-B-Q located at 24106 Highway 80 East, beside Harbor Freight Tools and across from Lowe's. According to a company representative, even though the construction of the restaurant is finished, they have scheduled the opening for January 24, 2024.

They began accepting applications for the Statesboro location on December 14 and the application portal remains open. You can click here to apply.

Training on site at the restaurant will begin on January 10th, which will allow college students an opportunity to apply now and begin training when they return from the Christmas break.

Quick Casual

This will be the third Jim 'N Nick's in our area and the first quick casual design. The first two that opened in our area were Bluffton, S.C., and Pooler, GA. Both of these restaurants are considered legacy designed restaurants. In these, you are seated by a hostess and a wait staff takes your order.

The Statesboro restaurant is quick casual where you will order from the counter and then take a seat. The restaurant will have heavy focus on to go orders with a double drive through.

The next two Georgia Jim 'N Nick's are under construction now in Warner Robbins (with a proposed February 2024 opening) and Macon (with a proposed March 2024 opening).

Jim 'N Nick's story

It all began in 1985 in a reclaimed old pizza restaurant on Clairmont Avenue in Birmingham, AL. The formula was simple. Celebrate the heritage of revered bar-b-q masters, cut no corners on the menu, and serve the whole community like family.

That philosophy allowed us to create something special. An authentic bar-b-q restaurant with chefs and pitmasters. A nod to our past recipes, with eyes towards the future. Sit down dining on one hand, and a drive-through on the other. No freezers, no microwaves, and no shortcuts. 12-hour slow-smoked pork and beef, but served real fast. A celebration of Alabama, but a reverence for the bar-b-q tradition across the South.

It’s the kind of place that only happens when you don’t follow the crowd, but instead follow your heart, trust your gut, and simply do things the hard way.

Today, Jim ‘N Nick’s has become an icon of the bar-b-q community. One bite and you’ll understand why, there’s only one Jim ‘N Nick’s.

Persistance pays off! Finally Parker's Kitchen has opened a location at the corner of Northside Drive East and North Main Street.

Parker's Kitchen, store number 111 located at 2216 Northside Drive East in Statesboro, officially opened on Wednesday, December 20, 2023.

Parker's and Enmarket have been in a bit of a battle for this intersection, which was famously dubbed the crossroads of America. Before the Interstate systems were created, Hwy. 301 and U.S. 80 connected the Northeast and Southeast U.S. with the Western U.S.

After building the Enmarket located at Northside Drive West and North Main, Enmarket purchased the land directly across the street from the new Parker's to keep a competitor from locating there.

At the June 16, 2020 Statesboro City Council meeting Parker's received a zoning variance to build on the vacant lot directly across from Enmarket and beside Morris Bank. They had difficulty closing on the property and abandoned this location.

Three years later, with dogged determination, Parker's has opened a store at this intersection.

The bright, inviting store design features Lowcountry-inspired architecture with a modern, contemporary glass-front façade with lime-washed brick, handsome bracketry and designer lighting. The retail footprint offers indoor dining as well as an optimized interior layout to maximize efficiency for customers.

The newest Parker’s Kitchen in Bulloch County offers popular grab-and-go options as well as a hot bar serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily and convenient electronic kiosk ordering. Popular items include never-frozen, antibiotic-free, double-breaded Southern Fried Chicken Tenders, signature mac ‘n’ cheese and potato logs. Additional highlights include the Parker’s Kitchen Spicy Chicken Tender Sandwich, freshly made salads, gourmet coffee, freshly brewed sweet tea, Fancy Lemonade, 28-degree beer, fountain drinks with Chewy Ice and a wide range of convenience items. The new store offers 16 fueling positions with regular, diesel and ethanol-free fuel.

A wide range of Parker’s Kitchen items are prepared fresh on-site and are available seven days a week. The entire menu is handcrafted on-site from the freshest ingredients by Parker’s Kitchen chefs who take pride in cooking for the communities where they live and work.

The next Parker's slated to open in later April 2024 in Statesboro is located at 17259 Hwy. 67 which is at the intersection of Fair Road and Burkhalter/Harville Road.

The City of Statesboro celebrates it 220th birthday on Tuesday, December 19, 2023.

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On Tuesday, December 19, 2023 the City of Statesboro will celebrate its 220th birthday.

According to a historical marker placed in Triangle Park by the Bulloch County Historical Society, Statesboro, the only town bearing this name in the country, was created on December 19, 1803, as the seat of a young Bulloch County.

Charging just $1.00, Augusta land speculator George Siebald sold 200 acres for the establishment of the town (then Statesborough). Except when court was in session at the county's judicial center, Statesboro's population remained very small during much of the 1800s, with area residents dispersed on farms throughout the pine-forested landscape.

In the decades after Reconstruction, Statesboro put itself on the map of southeastern Georgia, emerging as a commercial hub for the region. Stores, banks, newspapers, and an influential local government developed in the downtown area beginning in the 1880s. The town's first mayor was J. A. Brannen. The Dover & Statesboro Railroad connected the town to the Central of Georgia Railroad and outside world in 1889. The Savannah & Statesboro Railroad opened ten years later.

In the next decade, Statesboro grew into the world's largest inland exporter of Sea Island cotton, a popular and high-quality, long-staple variety of teh fiber. In the first half of the 20th century, Statesboro also ranked nationally in the mule trade and the production of tobacco. Agriculture and education anchor the city's economy to this day.

In the era of the automobile, the tourism industry changed the face and fabric of Statesboro. US Highway 301, the primary route carrying vacationers from the Northeast to Florida, and US Highways 25 and 80 attracted more than 3,640 out-of-state cars per day through Statesboro in 1953. At peak times before the construction of Interstate 95 in 1977, that number increased to over 20,000. Statesboro catered to tourists, with thriving motels and restaurants replacing homes along its major arteries through the mid-century. The city continues this welcoming legacy in its role as a regional center of industry, culture, recreation, medicine, and retail.

Education has also played a formative role in the town's history. In the early 1900s, Statesboro competed against neighboring communities and won the opportunity to host a new institution of higher learning. The First District Agricultural and Mechanical School, now known as Georgia Southern University, was founded in 1906 on a hill south of town. For over a century, the University has served as a magnet and distributor for education, culture, and ideas.

The Harlem Globetrotters, a global icon in the world of entertainment and basketball, embark on the launch of their 2024 World Tour with Spalding®, the #1 Basketball equipment brand in the world, as the exclusive ball partner, it was announced by Keith Dawkins, President of Harlem Globetrotters and Herschend Entertainment Studios.

The awe-inspiring team will bring an electrifying blend of basketball wizardry and family-friendly entertainment to over 400 cities around the world. The domestic leg of the tour, presented by Jersey Mike's Subs, makes its way to GS Hanner Fieldhouse, 500 Herty Drive in Statesboro, GA on December 15, 2023 at 7 PM with the North American tour continuing throughout spring 2024. International markets including: Eastern and Western Europe, United Kingdom, Asia, South and Central America, and India are a few of the many regions and continents, the Harlem Globetrotters will be touring in, beginning summer of 2024 and extending for the remainder of the 2024 year. The Harlem Globetrotters will embark on their Military Tour spring 2024.

"We are thrilled by the momentum that our brand is experiencing across a variety of important consumer touchpoints. Having Spalding® come on board as our official ball partner aligns us with one of the most iconic sporting brands in the world and gives us a powerful new position in the marketplace," said Keith Dawkins, President of Harlem Globetrotters and Herschend Entertainment Studios. "We look forward to the impact that our new partners will bring to the Harlem Globetrotters, as we continue to reach millions of fans, act as a fertile playground for all of our business partners, and build toward our centennial anniversary."

The multi-faceted partnership with Spalding® is set to encompass overarching opportunities across consumer products and retail, reaching its global audience on and off the court. As the official Spalding®-Harlem Globetrotters ball, all worldwide in-arena destinations will begin showcasing the basketball from this December as well as offering in-person purchase opportunities with the top selling Spalding® Marble Series™ basketball that will debut this winter. The partnership will also extend across retail with specific designs as well as special edition balls to mark key branded initiatives and third-party collaborations.

"Spalding prides itself on inspiring the next generation of athletes and continuing to advance basketball culture forward. In support, we are excited to partner with the Harlem Globetrotters who continue to influence the game in such a fun and positive way," said Matt Murphy, Senior Vice President of Global Spalding. "Both brands have a passion for keeping the game at the forefront of entertainment. This partnership is a positive step for both companies to continue this mission and we are excited to share everything that we have in store."

Ticket purchase can be found HERE and directly on the Harlem Globetrotters website.

The Harlem Globetrotters pride themselves on the joy they bring to service men and women across the globe and will embark on their Military Tour spring 2024.

Throughout its 97-year history, the Harlem Globetrotters continue to be celebrated as ambassadors of goodwill and sportsmanship. Renowned for their exceptional athleticism, trick shots and heartwarming interactions with fans of all ages, they are sure to captivate audiences with never-before-seen tricks, fan engagement, and heartwarming moments that have become synonymous with the Harlem Globetrotters.