As you might imagine, folks come up to me all of the time about rumors they have heard. It is true or is it not?
      The obvious one that is omnipresent is "is there another grocery store coming here"? That one is actually my personal favorite, because for the last several years, I have been right by responding "no."
      Don't get your hopes up, this column is not about a new grocery store being built at the corner of Highway 301 South and the Veterans Memorial Parkway (the bypass), although ultimately, that may end up being fact and not fiction.
      Today, we are going to address the McDonald's rumor. I know you have heard it, so don't act like you haven't. The rumor is that a new McDonald's is going to be constructed on a corner at the intersection of Northside Drive and North Main Street.
      The three McDonald's restaurants that are located in Statesboro (Northside Drive, Market District, and Walmart) are owned by Larry Carter. Since he would be the logical owner of a fourth McDonald's here, I called their son Brian Carter, director of operations for Carter's four franchises (one is in Sylvania).
      He said that he had heard those same rumors as well.
      "I called McDonald's corporate about two weeks ago, and asked them if there was another location slated to be built here," Carter said. "They told me no, that there are no plans in the works for another Statesboro location."
      Carter said that on occasion when a large fuel/store operation like an Enmark decides to develop a site, they will list a franchise restaurant like McDonald's or Subway as part of the planned development in hopes of securing something.
      "I don't know if that is the case or not, but we certainly don't have any plans," he said. "We do feel there is room for expansion, but that would be two or so years down the road."
      In an attempt to be thorough, I called the engineering department of the city of Statesboro to see if any plans for the construction of a McDonald's had been submitted. I was told that there are none at this time.
       Clearly, redevelopment of the two empty corners at that intersection would be aesthetically pleasing, but it appears that we will just have to wait and see what the future holds. Until then, I guess you will have to drive 1.8 miles further to get your Egg McMuffin.
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      So, until next Tuesday, I bid you au revoir.

      Got a scoop for Jan? Call her at (912) 489-9463 or email her at jmoore@statesboroherald.com