(AQ Chicken House)AQ Chicken House is set to close its iconic Springdale location after more than 75 years in business.
A representative for AQ said the restaurant’s last day is scheduled for Saturday, March 18.
Roy Ritter opened AQ Chicken House in 1947 on a hilltop overlooking his chicken houses in north Springdale, according to an article published by the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History. Ritter owned the restaurant until 1970 when he sold it to pursue other interests.
Other owners of the restaurant include Dick Bradley (current), Frank Hickingbotham (of TCBY) and Ron Palmer, according to Arkansas author Kat Robinson.
An AQ location was opened on College Avenue in Fayetteville in 1996 where it operated until 2016. The company also owned an AQ Express in a small building immediately south of that location.
The planned steakhouse called The New American was set to occupy the building in 2018, but never opened. The former restaurant is now home to a Grand Savings Bank.
