Construction crews broke ground last week on the site where a new Krystal restaurant is expected to be open in January.

“It usually takes about two and a half months,” said General Contractor Tim Roughton, of Alpharetta-based U.S. General Construction.

The 1,998 square foot eatery, which will feature a brick exterior, will sit on just over a half acre at the intersection of Hwy. 53 and Hwy. 400 Center Lane, next to CVS.

There will be seating for about 40 people and a drive thru, with the restaurant entrance on the east side of the building.

According to Dawson County Tax Records, The Krystal Company has owned the property for about a year.

Representatives for Krystal applied for a sign variance to increase the height of the restaurants monument sign on Hwy. 53 to 12 feet. The request will go before the Dawson County Planning Commission at the Dec. 21 meeting of the board.

Planning Director David McKee said two signs, a billboard and a movie theater marquis currently in place, will remain on the edge of the property and would not be affected by the county’s sign ordinance, which limits the number of business signs.

“The existing signage adjacent to the Krystal property is not within the property boundary, which allows Krystal to permit an additional sign,” McKee said.