O'Carr's
O'Carr's is a delicatessen chain owned by June and Cameron Carr. It was started as an ice-cream parlor in November 1975 at their original Homewood location at 2909 18th Street South.
The delicatessen serves a wide variety of deli meats, fruits, and salads. Specialties include the date nut bread and the chicken salad. Fresh-baked cheesecakes served warm and old-fashioned milkshakes distinguish the dessert offerings. The restaurant also offers catering service.
In 2004 the Carrs began selling franchise rights for new locations. Attorney Lew Garrison opened the first franchise in Cahaba Heights and in 2010 opened a downtown cafe in the former Safari Cup location in the Title Building. He closed the downtown location before Christmas and began looking for a buyer.
The Carrs had been planning their own downtown cafe since about 2007 when they purchased two adjoining buildings at 214 18th Street North. In 2014 they announced that they were proceeding with those plans. In August 2015 they announced that construction would start by the end of the year, with Long & Long Design as the project architect. The Carrs now live in a loft on the third floor of the building. There is another loft on the second floor. The downtown restaurant opened February 13, 2017 and closed on March 29, 2019.
Current and former locations
- 2909 18th Street South (1975–present)
- Cahaba Heights 3150 Heights Village (2004–present)
- The Village at Lee Branch (2005)
- Ashley Furniture HomeStore, 5535 Galleria Boulevard
- Title Building, 300 21st Street North (April–December 2010)
- 214 18th Street North (February 2017–March, 2019)
References
- Lockridge, Deborah "O'Carr's Deli & Catering" featured review at Bhamdining.com - [1] - accessed June 25, 2006
- Nicholson, Gilbert (July 9, 2004) "O'Carr's ready for change, puts franchises on menu." Birmingham Business Journal
- Williams, Roy L. (January 20, 2006) "O'Carr's now ready to take healthy fare to new locations." The Birmingham News
- Tomberlin, Michael (December 15, 2009) "O'Carr's Restaurant to open downtown." The Birmingham News
- Carlton, Bob (January 5, 2011) "Downtown Birmingham O'Carr's Restaurant remains closed after holidays." The Birmingham News
- Davis, Bryan (June 11, 2014) "O'Carr's Restaurant to open downtown location in Theater District." Birmingham Business Journal
- Poe, Kelly (August 28, 2015) "O'Carr's downtown Birmingham restaurant to open in April; building to get $1.25 million renovation." The Birmingham News
- Carlton, Bob (February 14, 2017) "Another new restaurant opens in downtown Birmingham." The Birmingham News
- Garrison, Greg (March 22, 2019) "O’Carr’s downtown, known for chicken salad and cheesecake, will close." The Birmingham News
External links
- O'Carr's website