New deli opening creates jobs for college students

After several years of vacancy, a space in Eastland Plaza, located between Third Street and College Mall Road will reopen as a McAlister’s Deli franchise, creating new employment opportunities for IU students and local residents.\nMcAlister’s Deli has restaurants in 19 states, according to the chain’s Web site. It specializes in deli-style cuisine, including sandwiches, soup and salads, and its self-proclaimed “Famous Sweet Tea.”\nGreg Prine, general manager of Bloomington’s first McAlister’s, expects to employ a mix of 75 to 80 students and residents once it opens Oct. 1. Prine said the deli understands students are busy and tries to work with their schedules. \nAlthough the deli will formally continue hiring for two to three weeks, Prine said, they never stop hiring and will not turn anyone down for a job unless they wish to be scheduled for a shift that is already full. Once hired, servers, cashiers and busers will go through job training, which began this week and will continue until the deli’s grand opening. \nDepending on final interior cosmetic additions and changes, the deli may postpone its opening.\nAlong with employees who work in the dining room or in the kitchen, McAlister’s also expects to employ three additional managers after the first few weeks. Pay starts at $7 an hour for servers and cashiers, and $7.50 to $8 an hour in the kitchen, depending on the employee’s experience.\nNearby Panera Bread brings a potential negative business impact on McAlister’s, but Prine has a positive outlook about the competition. \n“Competition is good,” he said. “It’s all about taking care of the guests who come to visit us.”\nBefore McAlister’s decided to lease the location, CVS occupied the space for about 40 years. The space was empty for two to three years before construction started on the new deli, said Sid Eskenazi, founder of Sandor Development Company, which owns the property. Several potential tenants looked at the building, but some only wanted half the space, so “we waited till we got the right tenant in there,” he said. \nMcAlister’s seats 200 people in its dining room and is considered a full service restaurant.\n“You don’t see any trash cans in the dining room because we come take care of everything for you,” Prine said. \nHe wants people to feel welcome at the deli even though it is new to the city.\n“We will eventually have two locations in Bloomington, the question now is just when and where,” Prine said. \nMcAlister’s is located in Eastland Plaza, 2510 E. Third St.