Those who have missed Garfield’s Restaurant since it left The Pines mall in 2009 will be pleased to learn that the eatery will be reopening in the same spot with a fresh new look by the end of August if an ongoing remodel project remains on schedule.
Garfield’s general manager Darren Jones is excited for the homecoming.
“I was here from 1997 until it closed in 2009,” Jones said. “So I am excited to have my baby back. We are trying to open sometime around the 23rd or 24th of August. The remodel is almost complete. We will have a full bar with a new bar top and new floors. There will be 14 televisions around the restaurant that will show sporting events. The restaurant looks 100 percent better than it did in the past.”
Jones said the restaurant is in the middle of the hiring process.
“Altogether we expect to have 50 servers, 10 hosts and between 15 and 20 kitchen help,” Jones said.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Scott Green, the mall’s general manager, is thrilled to have Garfield’s back.
“It’s huge to have them coming back,” Green said. “When Andy [Weiner] first bought the mall one of our first things was working to get Garfield’s back. Diligence on our part really paid off. While I can’t provide any specifics yet I do want to say that right on the heels of Garfield’s reopening we have another restaurant that is interested in coming to The Pines.”
Mike Denney is the owner of Garfield’s.
The restaurant will be open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m.