Van Buren A&P discusses Zaxby’s delinquency

story by Marla Cantrell
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Eat at Zaxby’s.

That was the message at Wednesday’s (April 14) meeting of the Van Buren Advertising and Promotion Commission. The commissioners discussed the restaurant’s overdue bill. Zaxby’s owner, Arkansas Restaurant Group of Greenville, S.C., has yet to pay the $1,200 for the last three month’s A&P fees. The commission collects a 1% food and lodging tax.

“We got a form letter from the corporation, thanking vendors for their patience and acknowledging that payments were slow or non-existent, and they were working diligently to fix the situation,” Maryl Koeth, director of the A&P said.

Koeth is prepared to file a lien against Zaxby’s if payment is not received soon. Zaxby’s opened in Van Buren in 2008, in the building constructed for the short-lived Captain D’s seafood restaurant, located across from the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Arkansas 59. Zaxby’s is a franchise chain of  “fast-casual” chicken restaurants, which originated in the southeast. There are other locations in Fayetteville, Springdale, Siloam Springs and Bentonville.

There is a total of $2,400 in overdue fees from restaurants and hotels. Seven businesses are one month behind on fees, with a combined tally of $650. Three accounts, that total $550, are two months late, and Zaxby’s owes the other $1,200. Koeth said she is seeing a leveling off of revenue and hopes to return to the numbers brought in in 2009. And that was, in itself, a dismal year. With gasoline expected to reach $3 per gallon before summer’s end, she has little hope to expect much more.

“That’s not great for tourism,” Koeth said, “but we’re hoping.”

March revenues are $29,189, a 3.5% decline from the same period last year and $31,657 or 7.5% below budget. Lodging revenue is at $9,572.02, which is 6.97% below March 2009 numbers, while restaurants dropped $75,114.27, a 9.35% decline. February tax receipts also show a 4.9% decline, falling from $32,362 in 2009 to to $30,525 last month.

Commissioners were also briefed on the gazebo behind the train depot on Main Street. The four-year-old structure is wrapped in caution tape after being declared unsafe by the fire chief, because the wood is rotting at an alarming rate. The $8,000 gazebo was purchased from an Amish-owned Pennsylvania company. When Koeth called to discuss the matter, the owner said several gazebos sold during in 2006 were not properly treated. The company is replacing the gazebo on April 30, at no cost to the city.

The next A&P meeting will be held on May 12.