O'Charleys coming to Oxford...who's next?

On the heels of Applebee's re-opening on West Jackson Avenue, O'Charleys recently disclosed plans to build a restaurant of its own in front of Home Depot across from Chili's.

Great news, for sure. My only question is can a town with about 25,000 residents from the middle of August through the middle of May (about 12,000 the rest of the year, including Christmas break) support so many big chain restaurants? The commercial boom that has taken place in West Oxford over the last four or five years, spurred by the new Wal-Mart Supercenter, has brought in the likes of Applebee's, Chili's, and several other smaller chains, such as Quiznos, Zaxby's and Lenny's.

So, the big question is what will be next — either next to open a new chain in town or next to go out of business because of the competitive market. How about an Olive Garden? Or Outback Steakhouse. Or what about Barnhills — at $5.99 for an all-you-can-eat country lunch buffet, that place would be packed daily. There's already a Barnhills in Starkville, Columbus and Tupelo. Cici's would be nice, as well.