and obstacle courses at Trunk or Treat at FBC Rogers? Whatever you choose to do, make it a memorable fall celebration!
ctober holds so many special memories for me. As a child, it marked the beginning of the holiday season, meaning it was much easier to count down the days until Christmas since it was now under 100. The weather is changing, bringing an entirely new mindset and a whole new set of family activity opportunities. Trips to the swimming pool are now visits to pumpkin patches, corn maze adventures and fall festival outings. Eating watermelon on a hot day is replaced by comfort foods like pumpkin pie, corn on the cob and lots--and lot--of candy! In addition to our monthly calendar, we have also included our annual Out and About Fall Guide,with an extensive listing of fun fall activities taking place this month for you and your family to enjoy. You can also find it online at www. peekaboonwa.com Make sure to visit the site often for new stories, activities, party ideas and much more added throughout the month. From October to December, Northwest Arkansas is prime territory for creating “Kodak moments.” What will you remember when you look back at October 2013? Will you remember a trip to the Ozark Corn Mazes, or a hayride at McGarrah Farms, or maybe all the fun you had on the big slides
When it comes to important memories, October marks a special time for our family as well.Eight years ago this month, we found out that we were expecting our first baby. It is a feeling that I will never forget! That October we found out that our lives would be changed forever -- that we would no longer be just a couple, but a real family! I remember taking my nephews trickor-treating that year and Jonathon being so protective of me. I had to bundle up, despite the unseasonably warm temperatures, to keep our baby safe and warm. That October marked a new season for us, and the opportunity to watch my husband take on the role of “Daddy” made me love him even more. October also means it is the 6th annual ‘Mothers of Multiples’ issue for Peekaboo! For families of twins, triplets, or more, this issue is dedicated to you! The pages are filled with stories and tales from moms and dads who not only got a big surprise with a positive pregnancy test, but a doublebig surprise when they found it was “double” positive!
Local Flavor, Classic Americana: The Feltner Brothers of Fayetteville Keep It Simple by: Frances Wilson
2768 N College Ave, Fayetteville 509 W. Spring St. Ste. 210, Fayetteville
T
he name Feltner has long held associations with some of the best burgers in Arkansas. People have been swearing by the Bob Feltner-owned “Russellville Whatta-Burger” peanut butter milkshakes and perfectly portioned patties for years, so when Chase, Travis and Grant Feltner, grandsons to Bob Feltner, decided to go into business together and open up shop in Fayetteville, it’s no surprise that their fast, fresh food received instant accolades. They are currently housed at two locations, one on Dickson and one on College, ably serving both sides of town perfectly crispy fries, burgers and cheeseburgers, Chicago-style dogs and giant onion rings. All the aforementioned food comes out in seven minutes or less, making the Feltner joint a true “fast food” experience, but the old-fashioned attention to the quality of the food goes so far beyond your typical drive-through faire that many a family, game and date night has centered around a meal there. Peekaboo, intrigued both by the fact that two of the brothers are twins, which is the featured theme for this issue, and the fact that those fries are truly life-changing, grabbed a quick bite out of the Feltners’ impossibly busy day to get behind the mindset that has created this NWA phenomenon.
Peekaboo: Obviously, the title of your establishment shows that you’ve based your business in family. How has that influenced the way you run it? Feltner Brothers: We run our business like a family. Family members that work well together and stay together will succeed together. Of course, we
40 October 2013
three brothers are family, but we also consider our staffmembers brothers and sisters too. Same goes for our guests. They’re all part of the family as well. We want to create an atmosphere in our restaurants that feels like home, where everyone is welcome and can be comfortable. If we can accomplish this, we feel like there’s no limit to our success. Peekaboo: In that vein, what’s the family story? You guys are two identical twins and three brothers--why did you decide to go into business together? Has there been anything surprising about working with family? Feltner Brothers: We are all three graduates of the University of Arkansas and come from a long line of family members that own their own small businesses. Travis and Chase graduated in 2007 and Grant in 2008. The idea for the restaurant was born in 2007 before Travis and Chase graduated. Upon graduation, they both knew that starting a restaurant would need a 100% commitment and mean many years of long hours and hard work. Rather than tying themselves down at that time, they both moved out of Fayetteville to explore what else was out there. Travis moved to Florida to be a weatherman at a local TV station on the gulf coast, and Chase moved to LA. When Grant graduated in 2008, the itch to become young entrepreneurs had consumed us all. In early 2009, we pulled the trigger, and Travis and Chase moved back to Fayetteville to get the ball rolling. By October 2009, Feltner Brothers had become a reality. We decided to go into business together because we realized that we could only be successful if we are surrounded by people we can trust. And who can
479-966-4488
(Spring St.)
479-935-4545 (College Ave.)
you trust more than your own brothers? We knew it wouldn’t be that simple, of course, but nothing has really been much of a surprise. We were fully aware of the fact that working with family isn’t always easy. We’ve had our ups and downs and arguments along the way, but, at the end of the day, we’re still brothers and love each other. We move past those rough times and keep truckin’ along. And trust us, there have been many more good times than bad.
of the restaurant from the back of house to the front of house.
Peekaboo: What were you guys like growing up?
Peekaboo: Where did you get the idea for your supersimple, high-quality menu and concept?
Feltner Brothers: We were all three extremely competitive growing up and very active in sports. This certainly has played to our advantage in business. It taught us hard work and dedication. Our competitiveness is what makes us determined to succeed and be the best we can be as young businessmen. Now that our sports careers are over, our business fills that void and need for competition. Peekaboo: What different traits and strengths do each of you bring to the table? Feltner Brothers: We are all three a lot alike, whether we’re willing to admit it or not. If we had to point out each brother’s traits and strengths that are brought to the table, they’d probably look like this: Travis is the thinker. His mind never stops thinking about what’s next and how the business can grow and improve. Chase is the more experienced one. Of the three, he was the only one with any restaurant experience before our venture began. He has streamlined the operation
Grant is the people-person. He strikes up conversation with regular guests as well as new ones, and that keeps them coming back. Aside from those, we’re just hard workers. We know what our roles are, and we just do what we have to to make things happen.
Feltner Brothers: Really, the idea came to us while we were in college. Back in Fayetteville from 2003 to 2008, as far as we knew, there just wasn’t a quick in-and-out, family-owned, good old fashioned burger and hot dog joint in town. Don’t get us wrong, there were some other good burger spots, but we just wanted one where folks could get a fresh, quality product at a reasonable price in a short amount of time. So far, we think we’ve accomplished that. Peekaboo: What would you day is the best part about working with your brothers? Feltner Brothers: We would say the best part about working with our brothers is the simple fact that we get to do all of it together. Every time we succeed or fail, we’re always here for each other. On top of that, when one of us is away from the restaurants, we don’t have to worry about what’s happening. We know the other two are there to take care of them. It’s all about trust, and each one of us has it in the others.