ANDERSON — Next Easter’s dinner might not be such a hassle for Anderson residents who would rather spend time with their families than baking the Easter ham.

National chain HoneyBaked Ham Co. and Cafe is looking to make a home in Anderson before Easter, bringing spiral-sliced, specially glazed hams, turkeys and other meats for purchase, as well as side dishes and desserts.

“They’re extremely popular during the holidays,” said Jim Squire, director of franchise development for HoneyBaked.

The store also will offer a cafe open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday serving soup, sandwiches and salads, and catering for special events and businesses.

“A lot of local businesses and organizations that have luncheon meetings enjoy having HoneyBaked Ham drop off our lunch boxes and gourmet meat trays,” Squire said.

The company wanted to locate in Anderson after creating a chain of stores around Indianapolis. The closest one to Anderson is in Carmel, so HoneyBaked decided to make its next move to the northeast Indianapolis area.

“It’s sort of a natural upcropping of establishing in a greater metropolitan area,” Squire said. “Muncie is a sister opportunity in Delaware County, which we think will give us a good tradition in the northeast part of the Indianapolis area.”

Anderson is already primed to have a HoneyBaked Ham location, said Ken Caldwell, vice president of franchise operations for the company, in a news release.

“The demographics and consumer lifestyle in Anderson meet the HoneyBaked expansion model and criteria,” he said.

The company cannot move to Anderson, however, without a franchisee, someone willing to open and run the business. Once a franchisee is found, the company will find a specific location.

HoneyBaked Ham stores usually go into strip shopping centers with about 1,600 to 2,000 square feet for operation.

Squire has had a few people from the Anderson area express an interest in opening a HoneyBaked franchise, but has not made a decision yet. The position offers limited hours and opportunity to be engaged in the community, he said.

“It’s really somebody that would like to be really engaged in the community,” he said. “We are not a traditional fast-food service where we just open the door and expect people to come in.”

HoneyBaked expects its franchisees to be involved in the local chamber of commerce to promote the catering side of the business and to participate in community causes, like corporate gift giving.

“It really requires somebody that likes to get away from the store, get out and establish their location in the community,” Squire said.