Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken announced on Thursday that it will open a second Little Rock location later this summer, at 400 Bowman Curve in west Little Rock at the space formerly occupied by Buffalo Grill.
The Facebook announcement came after Arkansas Business contacted one of the partners in the enterprise, Will Slabaugh of Little Rock, about a mixed-drink permit recently sought on behalf of Gus’s Fried Chicken of Little Rock West. J. Daniel Bryant of Little Rock, another partner on the Gus’s team, sought the permit from the Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.
In May 2013, Gus’s opened its first Little Rock location, in the River Market District in downtown Little Rock. It was the Memphis chain’s first franchise, said Slabaugh, an investment analyst with Stephens Inc. of Little Rock.
Following is the Facebook announcement:
“After a much appreciated response to our first year on President Clinton Ave., we’ve decided to open our second location. Our Gus’s family is very pleased to announce we’ll be opening in West Little Rock later this summer. We are even more excited to have been able to find such a great location in the space formerly occupied by Buffalo Grill, which operated very successfully as a LR staple for many years. But most importantly, we are thrilled to be able to bring the best fried chicken in the world and our unique southern charm to our current and future fans in the West Little Rock area.
“We’ll keep you updated … and thanks Little Rock for making Gus’s feel so welcome.”
Gus’s reported $954,157 in food sales in during the months it was open in 2013 and $263,502 in sales in the first quarter of this year.
Buffalo Grill closed its west Little Rock location in August after almost 25 years, with owner Doug Green blaming the economy and the increase in new restaurants even farther west. The restaurant remains open at its long-time quarters in Riverdale.