Big Whiskey’s to soon open Nixa restaurant

Big Whiskey’s is opening its eighth corporate-owned store starting this month.

The Springfield-based restaurant chain announced soft opening dates scheduled Nov. 19-30 for its Nixa location, 715 McCroskey St. A grand opening is planned for Dec. 1, followed by full operating hours starting Dec. 3, according to a news release.

“I am constantly amazed at the energy and effort our entire team puts in when we go after a new location,” said Paul Sundy, Big Whiskey’s co-founder and senior vice president of operations, in the release. “As a Nixa resident, I’m especially proud of this store.”

The Nixa restaurant replaces a former restaurant operated by Ruby Tuesday Inc. (NYSE: RT). The property is one of two former Ruby Tuesday buildings Big Whiskey’s purchased in 2016 after the former shuttered 95 underperforming stores. The other was in Republic, where Big Whiskey’s opened in August 2017, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

The use of the Nixa building as a Big Whiskey’s followed plans by Kum & Go that fell through, SBJ previously reported. BP Builders LLC renovated the 3,300-square-foot space at a cost of roughly $600,000, said Big Whiskey’s Director of Marketing Laura Head Elliott.

Big Whiskey’s currently has nine restaurants in its portfolio, including franchises in Lee’s Summit and Bentonville, Arkansas. Franchises in Birmingham, Alabama, and Las Vegas, Nevada, are scheduled to open this year, according to the company’s website.