New owner

A historic downtown Decatur shop has a new owner as the busy holiday season approaches.

Kemper Willcut II said he plans on changing nothing at Del's Popcorn Shop, 142 N. Merchant St., after he bought the business from Lou Ann Jacobs. He's been working there for more than six months, and Jacobs plans on helping out through Christmas, he said.

"I'm going to work as hard as I possibly can not to change anything," said Willcut, whose father has owned various restaurants in town. "It is a proven business model, and I would be silly to change anything."

Willcut said he had been looking at various business opportunities when Del's Popcorn crossed his path.

"I'll be in here, making caramel corn or whatever it takes," Willcut said. "Lou Ann was kind enough to sell to me coming into such a good season because she knew that would really get me off the floor."

The shop sells caramel apples through Halloween before moving into the holidays.

Expanded service

Diners in downtown Decatur have one more option when looking for a place to grab lunch: the Knights of Columbus Council No. 577 Hall.

Club manager Dawn Bradley thinks it will be an attractive option because the hall has a large parking lot that is not metered.

The food is made from scratch, and daily specials are offered, Bradley said. The menu includes appetizers, salads and sandwiches.

Take-out orders are available, as well as an option to eat inside the renovated facility. The building reopened this summer after a nearly yearlong reconstruction project.

Lunch hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

Call 422-2624.

Making changes

Ricardo Onate hopes the third time is the charm in more ways than one.

Onate already co-owns two other El Matadors in the Decatur area. He is also a partner in the new El Matador restaurant that opened at 1044 W. Eldorado St. This also is the third format for this location since his family began running what had been a Dairy Queen.

The restaurant was called El Caporal from 2001 until it became the Eldorado American Grill last year.

Onate said he no longer believes Decatur has too many Mexican restaurants. "People keep opening them, and a lot of our customers drive a long way to eat at El Matador," he said.

The new restaurant will feature the same menu and specials as the other two, the first open at 2912 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive since 1994 and the second open at 2048 S. Mount Zion Road since 1999. Visit www.elmatadormex.com for details.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. Call 422-2800.

Onate's partner in the three restaurants is his sister, Dolores Onate.

Under construction

Two prime locations along major Decatur thoroughfares are getting new tenants after several years of sitting vacant.

Wendy's is making its return to the Decatur market with a new location at the intersection of Pershing Road and Main Street. The site had been a convenience store/gas station.

A CVS Pharmacy is under construction at the site of the former Eldorado Bowl.

On the move

Fans of the Chili Bowl are hot-footing it to a new location. The restaurant has moved to the Phillips 66 station at 104 South U.S. 51 in Forsyth. The move, which offers more space, also brings with it the introduction of delivery service to any address in the Forsyth area north of Interstate 72. Delivery is free with a minimum order of $6. The Chili Bowl is open 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Call 872-7215.

n o n

Dale's Southlake Pharmacy has completed its move to a larger building across the street from its former location in South Shores.

"We have a drive-through that's dynamite and much better parking," said owner Dale Colee.

Store hours are still 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, and the telephone number also remains 429-5165.

Building owner Mark Allen said he's working with three or four potential tenants for the front part of the 6,500-square-foot building, constructed on the site of a former Arby's restaurant. He's looking to rent to someone who wants to run a coffee, breakfast or sandwich shop.

Now open

The new McDonald's at 962 W. Eldorado St. is open for business. Additions include a double drive-through and more space for parking.

Biz Bites highlights businesses that are opening, closing, expanding � you get the picture. If you have information for our Biz Bites column, contact Tony Reid at treid@herald-review.com or 421-7977 or Chris Lusvardi at clusvardi@herald-review.com or 421-7972.