Local businessman Doug Wadley wants to open a Shoney’s Restaurant in Henryetta.
wadleyThe plan was presented to the Henryetta Economic Development Authority (HEDA) at a special meeting Wednesday morning.
Wadley said the restaurant would be located on the site where the old Colonial motel and restaurant was torn down on East main.
He told HEDA members the dining establishment would provide 60 to 70 jobs with a payroll between $500,000 and $600,000 annually. Projected sales would be from $150,000 to $200,000 monthly.
“That’s not counting what people would spend in town before and after they stop and eat,” he said.
He was asking HEDA to grant a 2.5 percent tax rebate on sales each month for a five-year period with a maximum of $200,000. He said it did not expect it to take that long to pay it back.
Wadley said it would take between $1.7 to $2 million to build the restaurant. When completed, the restaurant would be some 5,000 square feet with parking for up to 80 cars. It would be open seven days a week and would include a daily buffet and have a dedicated meeting room. Once the actual construction started, Wadley said it could be completed in 120 days.
“I think everyone will be well pleased with it. It would be a great addition to the town.”

shoney site

Wadley pointed out he has restaurant experience including owning and operating two different sit down restaurants as well as being a part of the Simple Simons pizza chain for over 15 years. He and his wife would be running the restaurant. “We have been here for over 30 years and we are not going anywhere.”
The Shoney’s chain started in 1947 when Alex “Shoney” Shoenbaum opened a drive-in restaurant in Charleston, West Virginia. Five year’s later, he became a Big Boy Restaurant franchisee. That Big Boy name was eventually to be in a number of restaurants across the nation. In 1977, the Big Boy mascot was dropped.
Now the Shoney’s chain has 132 restaurants in 16 states.
HEDA member Jim Beymer’s motion to recommend the tax rebate to the city council was adopted unanimously by the board. It will be presented at the next city council meeting.