Smitty’s Garage, a burger and beer restaurant, is looking to expand in Arkansas and it looks like Rogers will be the destination.
Smitty’s has 14 locations, primarily in Oklahoma. Smitty’s is a part of the Hal Smith Restaurants of Norman, Oklahoma, and has one Arkansas location in the Shoppes at Steele Crossing on Joyce Avenue in Fayetteville.
Founder Hal Smith recently formed Smitty’s Garage – Rogers AR LLC. Spokeswoman Debra Brantley said the company does indeed plan to expand in northwest Arkansas and would release specific information when the details were finalized.
“We definitely have plans to keep expanding,” Brantley said. “Smitty’s is doing great over there [in Fayetteville]. Smitty’s does great in college towns, or near college towns.”
A good bet for Smitty’s Rogers destination is the District Shops II retail center, a part of The District at Pinnacle Hills just south of Pauline Whitaker Parkway. The District is a 55-acre development project of Joe Whisenhunt’s Whisenhunt Investment Group of Little Rock.
Shops I, a 24,000-SF retail center, was recently completed and has active tenants such as Growler USA, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, Kom Hot Yoga and Adella Nail Bar. Shops II, under construction, is a 16,000-SF center next door to the first shop.
Burke Larkin, who runs Whisenhunt’s Whisinvest Realty LLC in northwest Arkansas, would not comment on whether Smitty’s Garage was coming to Shops II. He did say that Carl Garrett, who owns Table Mesa Bistro in downtown Bentonville, was opening a new restaurant called Mirabella’s Table in a 5,500-SF space at one end of the complex.
Mirabella’s Table is scheduled to open this spring. Larkin did say the other end of the center had a 5,100-SF space for a restaurant, while the remaining space would be leased to retail stores.