SHELBY — The city of Shelby will officially have the meats after an official groundbreaking of an Arby’s restaurant along Ohio 39 on Wednesday.
A number of Shelby officials plus the Richland County Commissioners and other county officials gathered on a sunny Wednesday morning to turn shovels in the dirt at 234 Mansfield Ave. Shelby Mayor Steve Schag pointed out the road is often referred to as Shelby’s southern gateway into the city.
“For those of you who live around here I think you would join me in saying it has been wonderfully exciting to see all the enhancements that have been made on this stretch of highway, and the development that has taken place,” Schag said. “This is yet another step in that development process, and we are truly blessed.”
Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc., or simply Arby’s, is the second-largest quick-service fast-food sandwich restaurant chain in the U.S. and third in terms of revenue. Schag noted the chain has approximately 3,200 restaurants worldwide and 272 in the state of Ohio; in fact, Arby’s was founded in Youngstown, Ohio by Leroy and Forrest Raffel in July 1964.
“Their menu consisted of roast beef sandwiches, potato chips and iced tea,” Schag said with a laugh. “Naturally they’ve expanded their menu a little bit from those days.”
The property at 234 Mansfield Avenue has been owned by WXZ Development, Inc. since approximately 2008, around the same time the company built an Advanced Auto Parts right next door at 228 Mansfield Avenue. WXZ Development will also be handling the design and building process of the new Arby’s.
“We’ve had this property a long time, we’ve just been waiting for the right tenant to come along,” said David Budge, assistant vice president of WXZ Development.
That tenant is Arby’s franchisee David Giesen, who owns seven additional Arby’s franchises and has been with the restaurant since 1992.
Budge said he expects the new Arby’s restaurant to open by the end of this year. The restaurant will be 2,000 square foot and have a double lane drive-thru to assist with service and quickness.
“We’re excited to be here,” Budge said. “We’re happy to be a part of the continued growth of Shelby and part of this commercial corridor.”
