Bayou of Rogers Promises Safe Jams
by October 29, 2001 12:00 am 116 views
Owner: Wendell Franklin
Address: 115 N. Dixieland Drive, Suite 4, Rogers 72756
Phone: (501) 246-9337
Hours: noon-2 a.m. every day
Start-up date: Sept. 24
E-mail address: [email protected]
Wendell Franklin wants folks in Northwest Arkansas to sing the blues … in his new private club, Bayou of Rogers. Tables that seat a total of 180 people, a full bar, live music — with the occasional open-microphone jam session — and pool tables fill the 2,150-SF hall.
Franklin said he wants to run Bayou of Rogers as a “neighborhood bar,” and that means no tolerance for drugs or fighting. After six years in the Navy, two years in the National Guard and three more in law enforcement, Franklin said he’s prepared to make the club a safe, easygoing place for patrons.
He said he opened a blues bar because it attracts a more laid-back crowd. Seven people staff the private club, which generally seeks customers who are at least 30 years old.
By next spring, Franklin plans to add another 700 SF to the club to make room for a barbecue kitchen and 20 more seats.
Bayou of Rogers is the first business Franklin has owned in Northwest Arkansas. He worked at Rogers Tool Works for 9.5 years until he was cut with layoffs in June.