VNE Won?t Get Fayetteville Friday?s

Darin Gardner, who owns VNE Inc., the T.G.I. Friday’s franchise group in Fort Smith, says it appears that Carlson Restaurants Worldwide Inc., the parent company of Friday’s, won’t be granting the Fayetteville franchise to VNE.

Gardner says the franchise has apparently been awarded to another group, but he doesn’t know for sure yet. A Friday’s spokesman in Dallas said he couldn’t comment on the matter, other than saying negotiations were in progress to bring a Friday’s to Fayetteville.

Either way, Gardner says he plans to open a restaurant in Fayetteville whether it’s a Friday’s or not. Gardner says he may open a Dave & Buster’s or Humperdink’s Bar & Grill in Fayetteville. Both of those are casual-dining restaurant chains based in Dallas.

For a location, Gardner has his eye on a 1.8-acre tract west of The Eye Center on Millsap Road. The property is listed for sale by Coldwell Banker Faucett Real Estate for $472,278. Gardner says he doesn’t know if Friday’s is considering the same property.

The first Friday’s opened in 1965 in New York City. The chain now has more than 465 restaurants in more than 380 cities and 45 countries. Friday’s does $3.2 million in average annual sales per restaurant, the highest of any national restaurant chain.