Construction is underway on a new home for a long-standing Little Caesars Pizza on Orange Avenue that its owners said will include a drive-thru feature and hopefully create more jobs.
The new, standalone building is under construction directly next to the current location found at 1301 Orange Ave. NE, said local franchise holder Aces, LLC.
Customers had been asking for a drive-thru option for some time, said Patrick O’Connell, CEO of Aces, so the company began putting the wheels in motion for a new site that would allow that.
It bought up a vacant, 0.4-acre parcel next door to its current pizzeria for $68,000 in 2019, according to online real estate records.
In addition to the drive-thru, the new 1,800-square-foot restaurant will offer a fresh look, more efficient layout and expanded equipment capacity, O’Connell said.
He’s hopeful he’ll be able to increase staffing at the location once the new facility is up and running. The new site is set to open this fall.
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The existing restaurant, which has been in operation for more than 20 years, will soon be available for lease. The 3,300-square-foot space is being represented by Jessica Johnson of Divaris Real Estate Inc.
Aces, LLC was originally formed in 1982 with a single Little Caesars restaurant in Roanoke. It now runs about 70 locations — making it one of the largest Little Caesars franchises in the country — across Virginia, North Carolina and Maryland.
Alicia Petska.
Alicia Petska covers business and writes the Business Intel column. She can be reached at (540) 981-3319 or alicia.petska@roanoke.com.
