Cotton Patch restaurant adds to growing east side
Cotton Patch, a Texas-based restaurant chain, will be opening its doors in Arkansas next week. The location, which opens on Dec. 29, will be the first Cotton Patch in Arkansas and only the third outside of Texas.
“We like to start with places where we can grow with the town,” said Cotton Patch Marketing Director Liz Phillips. “We look for a place where we can do things with the communities.”
Phillips said there hadn’t yet been a single bad experience with the first Arkansas restaurant, describing Siloam Springs as “welcoming and inviting.”
“They’re super great to work with,” said Laura Campbell, with the Siloam Springs Chamber of Commerce.
So far, the restaurant has already been involved with the community, with a social media giveaway through the Chamber of Commerce.
“Everyone seems very excited to have something new,” Campbell said. “It seems like that area of town is kind of building up and there is some excitement about that area.”
The opening will be the newest part of a flurry of activity on U.S. Highway 412 near the Siloam Springs Walmart.
Cotton Patch will join newcomers Panda Express, Rib Crib and Wendy’s in a row of restaurants, and will be followed by a pair of shopping centers across the highway and a Burger King.
Jeff Kemp, from Commercial Realty, developer of the Shoppes at Siloam Springs, said he was attracted to the area near Walmart and the Siloam Springs market.
“We had done a project down
the road a few years ago for Wendy’s, so we knew they were good business,” Kemp said.
The area caught Kemp’s attention after Mexican grill El Matador reached out to the developer to potentially move into the Siloam Springs market.
“We feel very strong about Siloam,” Kemp said.
And the fact that the city has extended open arms to new businesses doesn’t hurt.
“I can’t even explain how easy and great they have been to work with,” Kemp said. “They went out of their way to partner with us, and that really means a lot to us.”
The Shoppes at Siloam will be a shopping center across U.S. Highway 412 from Walmart, and will house between seven and nine businesses. At the time of the interview, those included a cell phone store, two restaurants, a nail salon, hair salon and potentially a third restaurant.
“We would love to have one or two more local businesses,” Kemp said. Kemp invited any interested businesses to contact him, either online or over the phone. There is a sign on the property with contact information.