Easton awaits Zachary's daiquiris

by Lauren McDowell
Staff Writer

When Easton Town Center in Columbus opened its new wing Friday, a familiar Athens face was listed among the coming stores in the open-air mall.

Zachary's Delicatessen, 30 N. Court St., is slated to open a store in the second phase of Easton, said Jeff Zeigler, senior vice-president of leasing for Steiner & Associates, one of the companies responsible for mall development.

The new store should open by mid-October and will offer many of the same things as the Athens store, Zeigler said.

Plans for the second store began about three years ago, when developers were looking for a New York-style deli that would be available for the "grab-and-go" lunch crowd, Zeigler said. Zachary's and its owner, Chris Boyd, were exactly what Easton developers were looking for.

"Chris (Boyd) provides a valuable venue to do that in," Zeigler said

Easton developers pride themselves in providing the best in class for all of its shopping, entertainment and dining options, he said.

"Zachary's does just that," Zeigler said.

Boyd has a pending application for a D5-J liquor license for the new store, meaning they are applying in an entertainment district, said Patty Haskins, spokesperson with the Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Liquor Control. The application is listed under Zachary's Central Ohio Group, LLC.

Despite the capability to serve alcohol, developers do not expect Zachary's to market itself as a bar similar to Athens and the college town setting, Zeigler said.

"We expected it to be a gathering spot here," he said.

Developers have tried to pursue a variety of different eating venues, so the Columbus location of Zachary's will not face the same competition as in Athens, he said.

"You have Panera Bread…but I think the two are very much differentiated," Zeigler said.

Ohio University senior and Columbus resident Georgia Thomas said she was excited to hear of the second store. Thomas frequents Zachary's while at school and Easton while at home. Owners should stick closely to the deli food menu and daiquiri specials when making plans for the new store, she said.

"They offer a really wide selection of good deli food," Thomas said.

Zachary's should perform well in the Easton setting because the prices are comparable to what Easton shoppers will pay, she said. And there are very few places to get quick food in the area.