Occasionally there’s a lot of news at once, so we just pop it all into one article. Hopefully this will answer some questions you’ve been having about local business developments like Wright’s Barbecue, Buc-ee’s Travel Center, Rina’s Kitchen and the new development at Boone and Alcoa Roads. Read more below.
First off, MySaline has a Facebook group for subscribers, and I told them this morning what I was working on today, and gave guesses at when different businesses might be open. Let’s see how my guesses did…
Buc-ee’s is nearing completion but they still have some meaningful work to do. There are dozens of trees to be planted, fuel pumps to be installed, and signs to be hung. My guess is there’s also no stock on the shelves yet.
My guess was: July 4th.
Buc-ee’s answer: “Thank you for your interest in our Benton, AR location. We’re excited to announce our grand opening on August 17th. The ribbon cutting ceremony time is still being finalized, and I’ll send updates and a press release once available.”
I was off by over 6 weeks.
Wright’s Barbecue just installed their sign yesterday at I-30 & Wright Ave (the street name is a coincidence) where Applebee’s used to be, and they have been advertising for job openings for a while now.
My guess was: June 1st.
Wright’s answer: “I am hearing early July to open in Benton.”
I was off by a month.
Rina’s Kitchen at South & Olive Streets (across from West Side Pharmacy) has been stocking their food trailer. This is the really big red food truck, with the great hibachi, burgers, steak, sushi, and seafood. They used to be at Main St. Station at Main & Conway Streets, but that location sold and Rina’s moved to 703 South Street. Rina’s has been solely working at their Crossett location since the ice storm at the end of January 2026.
My guess was: May 15th.
Rina’s answer: “We are ready to serve you today!”
I was much closer, and I’m even closer than that to ordering lunch from Rina’s!
Boone and Alcoa Road has been a frequent question lately, and here’s your answer to that. This property at the northeast corner is in the city limits of Benton but just barely. All of the properties that touch that roundabout are in Benton, Arkansas. You might know this piece of land as a former daycare center. It has sat vacant for some time until PB Holdings purchased it in February 2026.
They started some preliminary construction activity in that last week or so, which has piqued interest in locals, so I started seeing questions about it in the Facebook groups. Now the mystery is solved, as they have placed a sign on the property saying it will be a Dollar General. We could have guessed!
As always, MySaline will update you when we know more about these topics. Meanwhile, you can read all of MySaline’s news about local businesses at www.mysaline.com/business-news/.
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