Mathews Brothers to Open Three More McDonald?s

Bill and Walter Mathews, franchise owners of 17 McDonald’s restaurants in Northwest Arkansas, have three more that are expected to open by May.

The locations of the new restaurants, and their opening dates, are Farmington, Feb. 28; Rogers, April 11; and Fayetteville, sometime in May.

The new Fayetteville McDonald’s, at Joyce Boulevard and Mall Avenue in the Spring Creek Center area, will be unique for several reasons.

At 6,100 SF, it will be one of McDonald’s largest restaurants. The theme will be “upscale,” Bill Mathews said, with a “Ralph Lauren Polo-type look.” The interior will have a cherry-wood trim, mahogany paneling, marble tile and chandeliers. The building will also contain an interior, 1,800-SF “Playplace” for children.

Bill Mathews has been wrangling with the Fayetteville Planning Commission to try to get a 10-foot sign approved for the front of the building. The commission said the size of the building calls for a 6-foot-tall sign instead. Mathews argues that the commission allowed a 10-foot sign outside his Crossroads Village store in Fayetteville, so he wants the same for the Spring Creek Center location. A commission appeals committee is scheduled to review the request March 5.

Mathews said he had “already bent over backwards for the city of Fayetteville.” To appease the commission, Mathews said, he has changed the store’s color scheme, donated $100,000 in land for green space, and agreed to widen Joyce Boulevard in front of the business by adding an additional turn lane.

The Mathews brothers have every McDonald’s franchise from Eureka Springs to Siloam Springs and from Bentonville to Farmington.