To Site or Not To Site:  That is the Cracker Barrel Question

Lisa Keys-Mathews
lmathews@unanov.una.edu
Department of Geography
University of North Alabama

Your consulting company is competing with several other companies for Cracker Barrel's siting business.  If selected your company will be the sole GIS Consultant to Cracker Barrel.  Needless to say, this means a lot to your young company's future.  Your task is to use GIS analysis to site a new Cracker Barrel Old Country Store in Etowah County, Alabama.  You have received the criteria from Cracker Barrel and you have talked with the Etowah County Planning Commission and received the ArcView files of the area.  (The ArcView files are on the server, please download them to a local directory.  The Cracker Barrel system administrator really hates it when consultants fill up her server!)  Your job is to make a presentation to the Cracker Barrel executives on exactly where the Cracker Barrel should be placed and why.  They know where the restaurant should go.  They want to know where you think it should go, why, and how you arrived at this decision. To win the contract, you must also explain your analysis techniques and how they supported your results (the Cracker Barrel executives will bring along their computer whiz and she must understand how you have made your decision.)

 Every decision you make regarding siting this business must be substantiated by GIS analysis.

Guidelines for Site Submittal:

• Location:    Site must be at an interchange highway with frontage on the Interstate or ramp.  The interchange should include commercial development, motels, tourist attractions or other traffic generators.
• Size:    Land parcel should be a minimum of 2.5 acres, with a pin corner preferred.
• Visibility:    Site should be visible from the interstate and the secondary artery.
• Zoning:    Zoned for commercial restaurant use.
• Property must accommodate a 10,000 sq. ft. building with approximately 185 parking spaces.
• A high-rise pylon sign is of primary importance.  Depending on topography, trees or other obstructions, local ordinances should allow for sufficient height for the sign to be seen prior to the exit ramp of the interstate - in both directions.

• Price:    Cost should be comparable to similar locations in the area.  A list of comparable sales would be helpful.
• Traffic:    We prefer a traffic count of at least 25,000+ vehicles per day on the interstate and 15,000 vehicles per day on the secondary artery.  Smaller counts may be acceptable if there re other positive influences in the area.
• Population:  Population in a five mile radius should be at least 25,000 people, above 40,000 is preferred.  Per Capita income should be above $12,000 per year.
• Access:    Easy access to the property is important
• Utilities:    All utilities should be available at the site (water, electricity, natural gas, sewer and telephone).  If not available no, when would they be extended to the site?
• Remodeling:    We do not refurbish or remodel existing buildings.

The data available to you are:

• Airport:    The runways and taxiways at the Gadsden Municipal Airport.
• Attractions:    A point coverage of motels, and other places of interest in the area.
• Buildings_1 through Buildings_5:    Planimetric style building footprints (only areas near interstate interchanges)
• CB:    Cracker Barrel locations in Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi and Georgia as of April 1998
• Hydrology:    The river shoreline and various creeks and streams
• Income:    Census block groups for the entire county.
• Parcels:    A coverage of property parcels (not the entire county, but what is available)
• Population:    Census block groups for the county.
• Streets:    Streets and roads in Etowah County (street names and address ranges are highly accurate)
• Zoning:    Zoning map of Gadsden
• Avl files:    Pre-formatted legends for various layers including streets and zoning.
• State map (hardcopy) of traffic counts

Your presentation to the Cracker Barrel president.  You may have no more than seven slides including graphics from your GIS analysis and it must be 5 minutes long.  In addition, your company must turn in an executive summary that provides the details of your analysis (2 pages).  The paper must be precise and to the point, with no unnecessary information included.  Your presentations will be on March 25 with the paper due the same day.

Remember, only one company will be chosen - you must do your best work to date!