Olive Garden to Open Dec. 11

The long-awaited Olive Garden is scheduled to open Dec. 11 in Fayetteville’s Steel Crossing area — 366 days after Darden Restaurants Inc. of Orlando, Fla., submitted a large-scale development with the city to build the restaurant.

Jerry Hodges, general manager of the new restaurant at 3616 N. Mall Ave., said the residents of Fayetteville had clamored long and hard for an Olive Garden.

“This has been the most requested new Olive Garden location in the country,” Hodges said. “This is where they wanted it — Fayetteville. The reception has been fantastic.”

Hodges said the 8,900-SF restaurant is the company’s “Tuscan farmhouse” design patterned after a restaurant in Italy.

“We’re trying to promote the Italian culture and way of life, which is dine with wine,” Hodges said. “We have probably one of the most popular menus for an Italian restaurant. We have an excellent wine list. One-hundred percent guest delight is our philosophy.”

The Fayetteville location will seat 200 diners. The average cost for lunch (including salad and an entrée) is $9-$11. Dinner checks average $11-$14.

For the first week, the Olive Garden will be open for dinner only. The second week, the restaurant will begin serving lunch also. Dinner hours are 4-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4-11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant will be open for lunch from 11-4 p.m. daily.

Hodges said he will employ about 175 people at the Fayetteville restaurant. Half of those will be part-time.

Before the Fayetteville restaurant opened, Darden had three Olive Gardens in Arkansas: one each in Little Rock, North Little Rock and Fort Smith.

Darden is the largest casual dining restaurant company in the world with annual sales of $4.4 billion.

McAlister’s Deli Opened Nov. 16

Mike and Barbara Means of Little Rock opened a McAlister’s Deli franchise Nov. 16 at 4055 N. Steele Blvd. in Fayetteville’s CMN Business Park.

The 4,000-SF restaurant serves sandwiches, soups, salads and loaded baked potatoes, said Mike Carey, who is a manager at the McAlister’s. The restaurant’s other managers are Kelley Carey (Mike Carey’s wife), Lance Templeton and Danielle Henchelle.

The quick-casual restaurant will be open seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. to about 10 p.m.

The company has five other locations in Arkansas: two in Little Rock and one each in North Little Rock, Conway and Jonesboro.

Perk on Wedington Provides Treats, Internet

While we weren’t looking, Ted Youmans, a former Fayetteville firefighter, opened The Perk on Wedington on Aug. 16.

The new coffee shop, in Wedington Plaza just west of Ozarks Electric in Fayetteville, also offers tea and smoothies.

“I can do 1,200 different smoothies,” Youmans said. “We serve about everything there is between alcohol and ice cream.”

Youmans said he plans to begin selling deli sandwiches at The Perk in December.

He decided to open the business on Wedington Drive because the new Fayetteville Boys & Girls Club will be located only 1,500 feet away from The Perk when it opens this coming August.

The Perk opens daily at 6 a.m. During the week, it closes at 10 p.m. On Friday and Saturday, The Perk stays open until midnight and offers live music.

The Perk also features four computer workstations that rent for $4.50 per hour and are capable of doing digital photography work. Youmans said he also has a terminal available for a free 10-minute e-mail check. Laptop hookups are available for $1.25 per hour.

TCBY Closes Fayetteville Store

The TCBY frozen yogurt shop that was at 2175 College Ave. in Fayetteville closed in early November. The store had been open for more than a decade.

We were unable to locate the franchisee or get a comment from Mrs. Fields Holding Co., which purchased TCBY in 2000.

TCBY was founded in Little Rock in 1981.