Picklemans Caf finds ‘common ground’ on Dickson Street

Dickson Street diners may remember reports earlier this year of a Taco Bell Cantina in development for a portion of the 3,300-SF building at 410 W. Dickson St. that formerly housed Common Grounds.

What about the other portion, you ask? Whispers has the answer: Pickleman’s Gourmet Café, a chain based in Missouri, is slated to open there in early 2017, according to franchise owner Allen Wills.

Wills, who owns Pickelman’s locations in Norman, Oklahoma, and Springfield, Missouri, told Whispers he’s had his eye on the Fayetteville market for about five years and has high hopes for the business, so much so that he plans to relocate to the area from Missouri.

Wills described the menu as a selection of sandwiches, salads, soups and pizza. Top-sellers include the turkey bacon club and chipotle chicken sandwiches and the asiago chicken pizza.

Pickleman’s will occupy about 1,650 SF of the former Common Grounds building and will be renovated on the inside while maintaining its historic features on the outside.

The property is owned by Monroe Dickson LLC of Fayetteville, which paid $1.3 million for the building in April.

The location also includes a 1,000-SF patio in the back. Both the building and patio for Pickleman’s will be separate from the adjacent Taco Bell Cantina.

Wills declined to say how much he is investing into the project but said it’s a “significant” amount.

The restaurant will employ 30 to 40 full-time and part-time staff and offer delivery within a several-mile radius.

For those who eat late, it will be open to at least 2 a.m.

Doug Stritzel, the founder and owner of Pickleman’s, opened the company’s first restaurant in Columbia, Missouri, in October 2005. It now has 20 restaurants in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma.