Local residents craving a roast beef sandwich from the Festus Arby’s need to hurry up and grab one before the end of the month. The restaurant, at the corner of Hwy. A and Truman Blvd., is scheduled for demolition in the coming weeks, and a new building will be erected on the same lot, reopening this fall.
The restaurant opened in 1995.
“The license with Arby’s Restaurant Group (ARG), the franchisor, expired in 2015,” said Fred Fleischner, vice president of corporate communications for United States Beef Corp., the parent company for Arby’s. “But, we were given an extension until November 2017 to remodel and rebuild it to the current ‘Inspire’ image design.”
The new design, which debuted in 2014, features wood tones, white brick, upgraded lighting, upgraded landscaping, subway tiles, stainless steel finishes and chalkboard graphics.
“The new building and site design incorporate state-of-the-art technology and restaurant efficiencies,” Fleischner said. “Guests will enjoy improved transaction speed through digital menu boards and the absolute latest in kitchen equipment design.
“The restaurant will also be situated slightly differently on the lot to improve traffic flow through the drive-through.”
Fleischner said the restaurant demolition will begin July 31.
“We’ll be doing what’s referred to as a ‘scrape and rebuild,” he said. “So it will close upon the start of the construction, and we anticipate a grand reopening to be scheduled in early November.”
Fleischner said the Festus Arby’s has 40 to 50 employees, who will be reassigned to other restaurants during the building project.