BENTON, Ark. — For 60 years, the Kream Kastle Drive Inn was a popular stop on Highway 70 between Benton and Hot Springs.
That changed when it closed in August 2023.
"We were upset," said Annetta Gilmore, a longtime customer of Kream Kastle. "This was our normal stop."
When one of the original owners passed away, the Kream Kastle stopped selling its burgers, hot dogs and famous milkshakes.
That is, until this summer, when Heather and Ray Queen, owners of the Salem Dairy Bar in Benton, decided to take over.
"He decided to lease it out here not too long ago,” Ray Queen said of the old owner. “We came and hollered at him about it."
The business deal led to Wednesday's grand reopening, at which longtime customers braved the rain to arrive at 11 a.m.
Gilmore was among the crowd.
"We're excited,” Gilmore said. “Hopefully, we get our good milkshakes again."
Some had also never been before but had heard the hype and wanted to see what it was all about.
"We were doing a job down the road there, and we saw the sign this morning at six o'clock," Dennis Johnson of Pine Bluff said. "We were coming through, so we decided to stop here and try it since we're working down the road. We're going to try it all the time."
Ray Queen said that seeing the reactions to Kream Kastle’s reopening has made him even more determined to make it great.
"It's more the people that are really excited for this place to be open," Ray Queen said. "We're excited for them because we're going to make it good."
Kream Kastle is located at 15922 US-70 in Benton for those who want to try it. They're open from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The dairy bar stays open one hour later on Fridays and Saturdays.
On Sunday, Kream Kastle is open from 12 p.m. until 8 p.m.; it is closed on Tuesdays.