COLUMBUS, Ind. — For decades, a Lafayette-based restaurant chain has enticed diners here with their well-known mantra “Meet You At Arni’s.”
But if you want to meet now, it can’t be in Columbus.
After 30 years of serving Bartholomew County diners, Arni’s Restaurant at 2765 Brentwood Drive is now permanently closed. Tuesday was the restaurant’s last day of business.
“We love Columbus, the customers who supported us for many years and our long-term employees,” said Kurt Cohen, co-owner of the restaurant chain. “But this location has been a battle. I guess you could say it’s another casualty of COVID.”
Cohen, son of restaurant chain founder Arnold “Arni” Cohen (1932-2002) said the Brentwood location was still struggling to find employees as the result of the pandemic. While he said the remaining 18 Arni’s restaurants were able to recover, the Columbus location was unable to bounce back in the aftermath of the pandemic.
On Wednesday, the lobby, kitchen and dining area was filled with stacked items like cooking equipment, dining accessories office supplies and computers. After each item was inventoried, they were loaded onto large trucks outside.
Other problems cited by Cohen included a sharp drop in business, insufficient parking, and a location that essentially hides the restaurant from the sight of motorists along National Road.
“When the restaurant was opened, this place had been selected by a person who obtained the franchise,” Cohen said. “When we took it over, I saw it was a lousy location. Across the board, all of our locations are in a much better position.”
While Cohen said his company has been looking for a new site in Columbus with better visibility, “I can’t find a location that make sense for us.”
But if such a place could be secured, Cohen said he’d love to reopen in Columbus. He specifically mentioned commercial sites along Jonathan Moore Pike.
For more on this story, see Friday’s Republic.
