CRANBERRY TWP — The Cracker Barrel Old Country Store restaurant will not have a new location in the township — again.

Township manager Jerry Andree announced Friday afternoon at the Cranberry Area Chamber of Commerce's kickoff luncheon that the store is not coming, which was greeted with groans from the crowd.

This is the second time the company has pulled the plug on a development plan.

A highly anticipated project, plans for the Southern-style restaurant/country store were approved in June for the site of the former Oak Leaf Motel on Route 19 as part of the Oak Tree Place.

Oak Tree Place is a 40,511-square-foot development that includes a mix of restaurants and retail shops.

Andree said Cracker Barrel pulled out of its project because the company has chosen to stop construction on all new restaurants.

Company officials weren't immediately available for comment.

In 2002, Cracker Barrel officials wanted to build a restaurant on Route 228 near the Olive Garden, Red Robin and Smokey Bones restaurants, but backed out because of delays in the site work.

With the loss of Cracker Barrel, Andree said three other restaurants now are proposed for the Route 19 plaza: Chipotle, a Mexican-style restaurant; the Sawa Hibachi Steakhouse & Sushi Bar; and a Golden Corral buffet-style restaurant.

Oak Tree Place is a redevelopment of the section of Route 19 that begins at the former motel site and includes Denny-Jorden's Service Center, which has since relocated to another building on Rochester Road, and a Gulf Station, located near the corner of Freeport Road and Route 19 in Marshall Township.