Lighthouse Inn may soon open under new ownership

story by Aric Mitchell
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“Coil up your rope and anchor here till better weather doeth appear.”

So reads a sign at the famous Lighthouse Inn Restaurant nestled on the Fort Smith edge of the Arkansas River near the Midland Avenue Bridge that crosses into Van Buren.

On the night of Dec. 31, 2010, River Valley residents and tourists alike followed this motto on the door of the Lighthouse Inn Restaurant one last time. For more than 30 years, the restaurant served seafood, steaks and chicken while offering views the Arkansas State Department of Tourism would describe as “bold hues of red and orange skies at sunset as well as moonlight reflecting off the water at night” along the banks of the Arkansas River. It is one of only five restaurants listed on the department’s “Uniquely Arkansas” registry of distinctive dining.

In 1974, Glidewell Construction built the restaurant located at 6000 Midland Blvd. The original owner was Hugh Ballard, who sold to Charley Simco in 1981.

“It was my dad’s favorite restaurant,” current owner Charlene Griffith said. “He knew the accountants that kept books for the Lighthouse and he arranged to buy it from Mr. Ballard through them. He just had to have it.”

Griffith managed her father’s purchase for 27 years. On New Year’s Eve, she looked back on her time with mixed emotions.

“I was sad in a way, but also a little glad. Working nights and weekends and every holiday takes its toll. The tough thing was the holidays. Mother’s Day, Christmastime, New Year’s and Valentine’s — that was by far our busiest day — those were the days that everyone wanted to come out, and they would all show in that two-hour window from 6-8 p.m. The restaurant can hold a lot of people — about 300 — so it was a challenge on those nights.”

Griffith’s license for the business will expire March 31, 2011, according to the Fort Smith Building Department, but rights of ownership could transfer much sooner.

“We’re in the process of selling, but we don’t feel comfortable discussing the details just yet,” Griffith revealed. “However, the new owners have some exciting ideas for the restaurant that we think the people of the River Valley will love.”

Griffith and family will be staying in the area once a deal has been finalized, but future plans will be considerably more laid back than those of the last three decades.

“We’re just going to enjoy retirement. I’m nearing 60 years old, and the place just requires too much energy,” Griffith said. “Some nights in the past — keep in mind this was before Red Lobster and a lot of those restaurants came to the area — people would park all along Clayton Expressway and walk to us to wait on a table.”