Brothers Bill and Walter Mathews took a big chance in 1983: They purchased a struggling McDonald’s restaurant in Springdale.
They didn’t know exactly how everything was going to work itself out. Focused and committed, they saw it as an opportunity.
They transformed that opportunity into a success story.
Twenty-four years later, the Mathews brothers are watching their 30 th McDonald’s restaurant be constructed near the Bentonville-Bella Vista city limits.
That’s right, their 30 th.
The restaurant, adjacent to the Lowe’s at U. S. Highway 71 and Peach Orchard Road, is scheduled to open June 1. It will be different from any McDonald’s that residents in the area have seen. The McDonald’s will feature a modern design, complete with an abundance of glass, plasma televisions, flexible seating, tile and stone accents, and a dual-lane drivethrough that will operate 24 hours a day. The restaurant will also include an automated beverage system, the first of its kind in northwest Arkansas.
This 30 th McDonald’s restaurant marks a huge milestone for the Mathews brothers. They are sometimes amazed by how the empire they’ve helped build in northwest Arkansas has evolved.
“ When we bought our first McDonald’s, we probably thought we’d end up with two or three restaurants eventually, ” Bill Mathews said. “ There’s no way we could have ever imagined we’d have 30. That just wasn’t a thought. Who would have guessed northwest Arkansas would turn into what it’s become today ?”
Bill was already working his way up the ranks with the McDonald’s Corp. when the opportunity to save the Springdale restaurant presented itself. He convinced his brother and family to relocate from the East Coast to northwest Arkansas. Their father was from southern Arkansas, so they had taken several vacations to northwest Arkansas. But in purchasing the restaurant, they immediately assumed a great deal of debt. The Springdale location had been losing money for years. The unpaid bills had piled up.
“ There was a lot of debt, and it took about two years before that restaurant became profitable, ” Bill explained. “ It was tough in the beginning. It was a big chance, but we were determined and had some good advice. ”
The best advice, in fact, may have come from the bakery distributor the Springdale restaurant was using.
“ We owed the baking company a lot of money, and I remember sitting down with him, and he said something that made so much sense, ” Walter said. “ He told us, ‘ Remember one thing. Watch the nickels and dimes, and the dollars will take care of themselves. ’ ”
That piece of advice never strayed far from the Mathews brothers’ minds. As the years rolled along, they took ownership of McDonald’s restaurants in Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers and Siloam Springs. With Wal-Mart growing, new opportunities were created in northwest Arkansas. The area started to grow and hasn’t slowed down. So the Mathews brothers continue to stay one step ahead of that growth.
They purchased a few McDonald’s restaurants in Oklahoma and Missouri, but 25 of their 30 locations are in northwest Arkansas, the farthest being Eureka Springs. They’ve built new restaurants in new locations. They’ve torn down existing buildings and replaced them with updated facilities.
When the brothers arrived in northwest Arkansas, they had one struggling restaurant. Now they “ are” McDonald’s in this market, to the point that they’ve even constructed their own headquarters, complete with full-time staff.
“ We just wanted to get our foot in the door and see what happened, ” Walter said. “ We never thought we’d own all of northwest Arkansas. We’ve worked very hard, but we’ve also been extremely fortunate. ”
The Mathews brothers’ roles have changed just as dramatically as the design of their restaurants has changed over the years. Their jobs have become much more administrative. They rely on those they’ve trained to oversee day-to-day operations. But they’re always on the lookout for new opportunities. They recently opened a restaurant in Centerton and have a spot in Pea Ridge as a site for a future McDonald’s.
“ It’s all about service, ” Bill said. “ No matter how much the designs change or our roles change, it’s still about service. It’s been exciting to be a part of the growth and opportunity in this market. Most McDonald’s owners have two or three restaurants. We remember every day how fortunate we are. ”
Walter chimed in: “ With McDonald’s, the saying is, ‘ You have to have ketchup in your veins. ’ We have it in our veins. ”