Former Arkadelphia Western Sizzlin’ site is coming down. Is Braum’s going in its place?

By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com

A former landmark eatery in Arkadelphia is on its way to becoming history. The future of the property remains in limbo.

On Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, heavy equipment was in the process of razing the old Western Sizzlin’ restaurant at 106 W.P. Malone Dr. According to public records on file at the Arkadelphia Building Department, the Russellville-based Cornerstone Construction was hired for the demolition of the 7,100-SF building, once home to the Western Sizzlin’ steak house. The permit for demolition was filed Jan. 23.

Once the second-largest steakhouse chain in the U.S., with more than 600 locations, only 33 Sizzlin’ restaurants remain in the U.S., according to a 2025 report by The Takeout. Around the same time that the Arkadelphia restaurant closed, other nearby Sizzlin’ eateries halted operations, as well, including Malvern, Benton and Nashville. A Google search for Western Sizzlin’ locations in Arkansas turned up only four restaurants.

Arkadelphia’s Western Sizzlin’ ceased to sizzle steaks forevermore during the Covid pandemic; the steak house and buffet was among others under the Western Sizzlin’ brand that shuttered its doors during that period. 

However, the 1.14-acre property, conveniently situated at the Interstate 30 exit for Arkadelphia, may yet find another chance to be the site of a popular eatery.

In 2021 Braum’s Ice Cream & Dairy Stores, d/b/a Retail Buildings Inc., bought the acreage and the building that once housed the restaurant in a $650,000 deal with previous owners, according to online real estate records. The demolition cost of $20,000 is another investment in the Arkadelphia property.

A city official with knowledge of Braum’s’ plans to add an Arkadelphia location to its lineup said the former Sizzlin’ building was likely too small for the typical footprint required of a Braum’s location. Braum’s is reportedly in the process of erecting its first Central Arkansas location, a 6,067-SF storefront that includes more than 2,000-SF of grocery space, according to press reports dating to summer 2023.

Of Braum’s’ 300+ locations, there are currently about a dozen operating in populous cities throughout Northwest Arkansas. The nearest Braum’s to Arkadelphia is about 100 miles to the west, in Idabel, Oklahoma.

A media inquiry was left Monday afternoon with Braum’s’ public relations department. At the time of this writing the company had not returned a phone call.

A Braum’s spokesperson last spoke to The Arkadelphian in September 2023, but gave no indication whether the company had definitive plans to add an Arkadelphia location. Check back later for an update once Braum’s returns our voicemail.