SPRINGDALE -- AQ Chicken House plans to shut its doors this month after seven and a half decades of business in Springdale.
The restaurant's last day of business at 1207 N. Thompson St. will be March 18, according to manager Kaleesa Sanders. She said she didn't know anything else about the closing.
Owner Dick Bradley said in December there was a pending contract for a company to buy the property, but the company involved was "doing their due diligence" and hadn't yet accepted a deal. Bradley could not be reached Thursday for comment or confirmation of whether that deal has been completed.
"This is certainly a sad day for anyone who's ever enjoyed the delicious pan fried chicken or battered fries AQ Chicken is known for," said Bill Rogers, president of the Springdale Chamber of Commerce, in a statement. "While we understand and respect why the AQ Chicken property has been sold, it doesn't mean we aren't already missing this restaurant that is beloved by so many across our state and around the nation."
Roy Ritter opened AQ Chicken House in 1947. Ritter later became the mayor of Springdale, according to Angie Albright, director of the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History.
The story of the restaurant and its founder represents the way "things all end up tied together" in a growing community like Springdale, from local businesses to city leadership to the poultry industry, Albright said.
"I don't think iconic is too strong of a word," Albright said of the restaurant.
In the beginning, when Thompson Avenue was still a dirt road, chickens were raised, killed, cleaned and processed right behind the restaurant, according to Kat Robinson's book "Classic Eateries of the Ozarks and Arkansas River Valley."
The menu has served chicken in all forms over the years. Some of the signature dishes have included pan-fried chicken, often served with spaghetti, and the AQ Pickle O's, battered and fried dill pickle bites.
The restaurant was sold to Frank Hickingbotham and Ron Palmer in 1981, Robinson writes. In 1998, Bradley sold his Lincoln chicken farm to buy the business.
President Bill Clinton in 1993 celebrated his 47th birthday with pan-fried chicken at the restaurant and George W. Bush once ordered some AQ chicken from Air Force One, according to the restaurant's website.
An AQ location at 1925 N. College Ave. in Fayetteville was open from 1991 to 2016. AQ Chicken Express used to operate next to that location at 1889 N. College Ave.
AQ, which stands for Arkansas Quality, is one of a few U.S. 71 restaurants such as Herman's Ribhouse in Fayetteville and Neal's Cafe in Springdale that long predate the arrival of the interstate in Northwest Arkansas. Another such restaurant, Fred's Hickory Inn in Bentonville, was sold last year to new owners and has since been renamed.
The Shiloh Museum of Ozark History has a number of items related to AQ in its collection, including menus and photos, according to Albright. The Ritter-McDonald log cabin on the grounds of the Shiloh Museum, believed to be built in 1854, was owned by several generations of the Ritter family, she said.