Springfield restaurant market in flux

Brothers Kevin, Michael and Donald Rolf opened a Back Yard Burgers restaurant in September at 1008 E. Battlefield St., in what formerly was Bojangles’ Famous Chicken ’n Biscuits.

Kevin Rolf says he and his brothers decided to purchase the southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas franchise territory for Mississippi-based Back Yard Burgers because of several factors, one of which was the area’s growth.

“With the attractiveness of Branson and how it’s grown, and northwest Arkansas being one of the top five or six areas of growth nationally, we felt like Springfield, Joplin and Branson and the northwest Arkansas area was a good market to go into,” Rolf said. Although sales at the Springfield location have not initially been as strong as expected – which Rolf said is due to a lack of recognition – he added that they are growing as people recognize that the new location is open.

“It’s building, and we think that over time it will get where we need to be,” said Rolf, who declined to disclose sales figures.

The Springfield location is the brothers’ fifth restaurant; they also own locations in Ozark, Nixa, Joplin and Rogers, Ark.

The Rolf brothers do not own the Back Yard Burgers at 4020 S. Campbell Ave.; that restaurant was built before the Rolfs purchased the southwest Missouri franchise territory.

Taco Bueno, based in Carrollton, Texas, has opened three new restaurants in Springfield since September, and company officials have indicated plans to build three to four more in the area, including in Branson, in the next few years.

Restaurant ratio

New restaurants aren’t uncommon in the Queen City. Springfield boasts 537 licensed food-service operations, according to the city’s business license department. That’s one restaurant for every 280 people, compared to one for every 320 people nationally, according to the National Restaurant Association.

Natalie Alford, president of the Springfield/Branson chapter of the Missouri Restaurant Association, says she isn’t sure why the area attracts so many new eateries.

“Typically in this city, when one new restaurant goes in, another one goes out,” Alford said. “It has to – it’s the law of averages.”

Exits

Bombay Bicycle Club, 1717 E. Cherokee St., has closed its doors after a little more than a year in business. It was the second incarnation of the restaurant, which originally closed its doors in 1998. Jim Garland and Tom Smith purchased the rights to the Bombay name after the national chain closed in May.

Garland, who sold his interest in the eatery to Smith in June, said he’s not sure why the restaurant closed. Smith could not be reached for comment.

Also closed are two Springfield locations of Oklahoma-based restaurant chain Charlie’s Chicken.

Franchise owner David Reifsteck, who also has a dental practice in Muskogee, Okla., closed the restaurants earlier this year. Reifsteck did not return calls for comment.[[In-content Ad]]