So…forget it. Never again will I get ice coffee from McDonald’s in Clayton, NC. I will risk life and limb to make a left turn into Dunkin’ Donuts on US 70 if need be. McDonald’s, your coffee tastes burnt, your employees don’t speak enough English to know what ‘light and sweet’ means, and when I sip my coffee before I leave your drive-through window and ask you to make it again because it tastes like shit (yes, we use the word shit on this blog), all your employees can do is make faces of disgust at me.

So I’m breaking up with you McDonald’s of Clayton. That goes for you too, McDonald’s of Smithfield, NC (all of you), McDonald’s of Garner and every other McDonald’s south of the Mason-Dixon line.

When I relocated to Clayton, NC from Connecticut, I knew I’d be sacrificing the love of my Dunkin’ Donuts iced coffee since there’s only one DD that happens to be close to me. Now I KNOW where my true ice coffee love lives.

Sincerely,

Relocate Clayton

House blend coffee starts at $1.30 for a small and goes up to $2.00 (excluding taxes). Get your fill of baked goods too, cause I won’t - cookies, Rice Krispy squares, scones and other treats adorn the counter.

Cappucino, latte, americano, breve, chai latte and other words that never come out of my mouth are also available between $.50 and $3.75. Some people say it’s Clayton NC’s best coffee.

Here’s what I like:

• It’s hot. There’s nothing worse than cold coffee. Wendy’s cups keep my coffee hot and my hands from getting burned. It’s a win-win.
•  You can stack cups easily. Do you care? Maybe not, but when I get coffee two at a time the ability to stack becomes paramount. The cups go together and STAY together.
• It tastes good. I’ve had what I call ‘working man’s coffee’ in just about every kind of setting - airlines, diners, weddings - even on a FedEx A310. This coffee is gooood. It’s not Tim Hortons  or FedEx good, but I suffer gladly.
• It’s in Clayton, NC and other Johnston County locations. So it’s probably on your way to or from somewhere in Clayton or Johnston County.

They also have coupons for a free coffee (small) with ANY purchase. So you know what I do? I buy a large and get a small free. Damn I’m smart.

Anyway, this is a story about fish, not about filling your propane tank with LP gas in Johnston County.

So after my neighbor and I finished with his tanks, we got lunch. We ended up at Barbee’s Seafood in Smithfield. Tim (my Clayton Pointe neighbor) had been there before and suggested the trout sandwich. Actually, he suggested two. Not one to turn down a free meal, I accepted.

And am I ever glad I did. Those Barbee’s trout sandwiches were so good, I could have had another two. And they were only $1.99 each. And they have much more than the trout sandwiches. But you have to check it out for yourself:

728 N Brightleaf Blvd, Smithfield, NC

(919) 934-7244

Relocate Clayton gives Barbee’s Seafood two fins up!

Anyway, to celebrate Selma’s modern-day dining facility, the new McDonald’s will be selling cheeseburgers for 49¢ on January 17th & 24th between 5:00 and 8:00pm.

Limit ten per customer. So eat ‘em slow, ya hear?

It appears the restaurant begin with dinner hoursonly, and there is a plan to also open the Clayton Steakhouse for lunch beginning possibly in April.

You can search by name, zip code, or first letter of establishment name. Restaurants in every town, including Clayton NC, Smithfield NC, Selma NC, Benson NC and more are on the list of restaurants.

Representatives of Arnett Muldrow & Associates presented findings and recommendations on December 17, 2007 to the Clayton, NC town council. The findings are part of a market analysis, branding & marketing, and wayfinding strategy for the town of Clayton. Strategies were presented for each area along with short-, mid- and long-term action plans.

The firm also presented a new marketing logo for Clayton. While the seal of the Town of Clayton is the main message for the town of Clayton, it was pointed out that there needs to also be a marketing logo for the town’s image. The logo’s tag line: “Thinking Outside the Triangle” gives an association to the Triangle area, and offers the opportunity to market Clayton as a unique destination and location.
Branding and marketing strategies that were recommended include:

• Short Term Marketing Strategies
– Adopt uniform brand for Clayton & the town’s downtown
– Apply this brand to existing organizations, events and print material
– Begin aggressively marketing Clayton to local growth areas

• Mid Term Marketing Strategies
– Expand Clayton’s marketing reachthrough the integration with regional tourism & arts efforts
– Target the greater Raleigh-Durham market to increase regional market penetration

• Long Term Marketing Strategies
– Promote Clayton’s quality of life benefits and attract residential development
– Perform follow-up market definition study every five years and posibly quarterly
– Develop a new regional event hosted in Clayton

The study reviewed recommended wayfinding signageas well as the nature and locations of signs and major gateways throughout Clayton. Wayfinding signs help residents and visitors find their way through town. Some of the recommendations the report made include:

• Short term
– Location and sign design approval from NC DOT
– Application pf the Clayton brand to wayfinding signs, gateways
– Early efforts that focus on downtown signage and banners for character districts

• Mid term
– Trailblazer signage on arterial routes like US 70 & NC 42
– Purcahse billboard space on I-95 & I-40
– Coordinate new signage with the completion of new US 70 bypass

• Long term
– Billboards in the Raleigh-Durham area
– New gateway signage on US 70 (west) & US 70/Main
– Secondary gateway signage dowtown

The market potential data presented shows that the town of Clayton can easily support an additional 200,000 square feet of retail space. The study showed a large amount of Primary Trade Area leakage, and the lack of retail offerings in downtown Clayton creates an opportunity to expand the local market. By doing this, Clayton must reach the “new” market which is the residential growth in the Raleigh area.

Clayton needs to build on its current strengths to recruit complementary retail based on the market analysis data. These retail companies would include: furniture stores, apparel, gifts, home furnishings other shopping. Specialty shopping and restaurants in general are best suited for a downtown area such as Clayton’s, while general merchandising would have its place on US 70.

Mr. Arnett also noted that there is a HUGE opportunity for downtown Clayton to expand restaurant offerings, since restaurants currently pull more regional customers and visitors. He also suggested developing a great mix of unique businesses downtown with broad appeal. Some of the implementation strategies include:

• Short Term
– Clayton should host an implementation work session to present the entire marketing plan & assign responsibilities to local partner organizations
– Pursue a newly created economic development position in Clayton to lead business development & recruitment of small businesses, retail, mixed use, etc.
– Create advertising committee with representatives from key destinations (responsible for marketing, communication, public relations and media planning)

• Mid Term
– Economic Development position strengthens regional partnerships with Economic Development, tourism, cultural agencies
– Create a community event calendar

• Long Term
– Continue to evaluate planning progress & adjust tasks & priorities as needed

The final report will be provided following a review of the material presented. For more information, please contact at 553-1545 or bnaegelen@townofclaytonnc.org.

The new Clayton dining establishments are:

Mulberry on Main

El Sabor de Oaxaca

Clayton Steak House

In addition, the Main Street Piano Bar in Clayton is expected to open in January.