Village Inn Ranks First Among City Resturants

The Village Inn Restaurant brought in $1.7 million in revenue for 1998, making it Bentonville’s top restaurant in gross sales for 1998.

The Village Inn, at 2300 SE Walton Blvd., was followed in the list by the cafeteria at the Wal-Mart Stores Inc. headquarters (with $1.4 million in sales) and McDonald’s at 201 S. Walton Blvd. ($1.3 million). The Wal-Mart cafeteria, however, isn’t open to the public.

Seven of the city’s top 10 slots for 1998 were held by chain eateries. At No. 5, Fred’s Hickory Inn was the only locally owned restaurant to make the list. The other two were the Wal-Mart cafeteria and Supercenter deli.

Ruby Tuesday Inc. opened a restaurant on Dec. 7, 1998, at 1402 S. Walton Blvd., only half a mile from the Wal-Mart headquarters. That month, the 4,977-SF eatery brought in more monthly revenue than any restaurant in the city that year with $302,473.

But George Babb of Springdale, who owns the Arkansas franchise rights for the Village Inn, says he doesn’t believe Ruby Tuesday has cut into the Village Inn’s business in Bentonville.

“They serve alcohol, and we do not,” he says. “They’re just a different type of restaurant.”

The Village Inn is open for breakfast and stays open around the clock on Fridays and Saturdays, and “our menu fits the demographics” of the area, Babb says. The Village Inn draws largely from customers between the ages of 35 and 70.

Babb says the Village Inn is a “moderately priced, full-service, family restaurant specializing in breakfast and great desserts served with lunch and dinner.”

Village Inn has 240 restaurants nationwide. Babb also has Village Inn franchises in Fayetteville and Fort Smith, and one scheduled to open May 18 in Conway.

Ruby Tuesday Inc. is a chain of casual restaurants based in Mobile, Ala. The company has more than 400 restaurants across America.

Ruby Tuesday has led the list for the first three months of 1999, says Judy Lea, manager of the Bentonville Convention and Visitors Bureau. As of press time, the bureau only had statistics through March 1999.

Lea says Ruby Tuesday has probably attracted diners who might otherwise have traveled to Rogers to eat at Kisor’s Grill & Bakery, Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill or Dixie Cafe.

“Most of what we have here are chain restaurants,” says Lea, adding that the city could support more upscale eateries.

Another new restaurant and strong contender through the last half of 1998 was the Clarion Restaurant, which opened with the Clarion Hotel & Convention Center in July. The Clarion Restaurant had $358,075 in revenue through the last half of 1998.

A third McDonald’s opened in Bentonville (at the intersection of Arkansas Highway 102 and Phyllis Street) in August 1998 and showed impressive sales numbers throughout the rest of the year, reaching a high of $115,370 in September, its first full month of operation. All three McDonald’s franchises in Bentonville are owned by Bill and Walter Mathews of Fayetteville. The third McDonald’s is located in the city’s Wal-Mart Supercenter.

As far as walk-in, sit-down restaurants open to the public, Bentonville had 47 in 1996, 49 in 1997 and 52 in December 1998.

Curt Loyd, president and CEO of the Bentonville/Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce, says surveys indicate city residents want more restaurants, particularly upscale restaurants, since the city has a plethora of fast-food eateries.

Loyd says Cafe Santa Fe, a Fayetteville-based Mexican restaurant chain, is planning a Bentonville eatery. New Bentonville restaurants are also planned by Pizza Hut and Schlotzsky’s.

“What we’re working on is contacting some of the other restaurant franchises, showing them the population density, traffic count and all that,” Loyd says.