By Audrey Hanes, Photography by Melissa Donner

For close to 50 years, Munchys has been serving up specialty sandwiches and its legendary fried cheese sticks to generations of Jonesboro’s diners. With a recent move to a larger and more visible location, the eatery is reaching new customers while keeping its beloved nostalgia alive.

Brian Biggs and Jeffrey Higgins bought Munchys in 2018 from Tom Fielder, who previously owned the eatery for 28 years. In September of 2023, the businessmen restructured their partnership, making Biggs the sole owner of Munchys; another huge change to the business took place soon after.

“I knew for the business to grow and continue to fit the needs and wants of our clients, we had to look for a new home,” said Biggs. “So many times I had heard, ‘I wish you had more seats, more parking, a drive thru, etc.’ The building on Caraway didn’t allow us for the kind of expansion that was needed to fulfill all of those requests.”

On Jan. 2, 2024, after 48 years on Caraway Road, Munchys opened its doors on Red Wolf Boulevard to rave reviews. Biggs took great care to retain much of the nostalgia from the original location.

“When I found the property and looked at the space, I knew it could be Munchys,” said Biggs. “I knew with the right look people would still get the Munchys feel when they came in. I started with adding some partition walls to be able to use our famous wood booths with green tops. I also wanted to keep the old countertop we had at the Caraway store. It’s a piece of ASU history. It’s a piece of the basketball floor from the old fieldhouse; it was converted to a countertop at the old store, and I knew it had to make the move with us. I was able to make a cool wall mural out of it and even added a little story about Munchys and a rendering of the building that I commissioned from local artist Dale Case.

“We have all of our memorabilia that graced our walls for years and have an area in the store for those special pieces. Some include a pole-vaulting pole from gold medalist and ASU alum Earl Bell, tons of pictures, jerseys, hats, license plates, flags and more. I worked with local graphic designer David Liles of Liles Designs to create murals on the walls featuring many images of Munchys and ASU throughout the years. And I worked with local sign company Anderson LED Signs to help bring back the historic Munchys logo.”

Customers were pleased that all of their menu favorites made the move to Red Wolf Boulevard. The Munchy’s Club features smoked ham and turkey, Applewood bacon, Swiss and American cheeses, lettuce and tomato. Other specialty sandwiches like the Chicken Bacon Ranch and the Spicy Chicken Marinara are also available. Additional menu offerings include corn dogs, fresh salads and favorites like funnel cakes, fried pickles, onion rings and a Frito chili pie.

“Of course, Munchys is synonymous with cheese sticks – world famous in our books,” said Biggs. “We also have such a wide variety of sandwiches that are crowd favorites, The Club, our Classic Reuben, and just our regular Ham and Cheese are staples for many.”

With the new location, Biggs wanted to introduce a new category on Munchys’ menu.

“Thinking about transitioning to the new store, I wanted to add a few things to the menu to be able to offer even more for our patrons,” said Biggs. “The biggest thing was our Specialty Spuds – jumbo baked potatoes topped with all sorts of meats, cheeses and other toppings.”

The menu items weren’t the only new addition to the restaurant; with the new location, Munchys debuted a new slogan, “Steamin’ Since ’75.” The restaurant sells shirts featuring the historic Caraway location, the slogan and even their version of former A-State Mascot Munchin’ Joe for customers to purchase.

“I’ve been eating Munchys’ ham and cheese sandwiches since at least 1985,” said Chris Hughes, a longtime customer. “As a kid, I’d beg my mom to take me there. As a teen, I’d ride my motorcycle there after school and before going to work at the radio station. As an adult, I have loved letting my kids discover their favorite sandwiches. Three generations of my family love sitting in those wooden booths. And if you haven’t tried it, cheese sticks with honey mustard instead of marinara or ranch. Trust me.”

Hughes is not alone – Biggs says that although there were some initial concerns, their loyal customers have helped the new location thrive.

It was scary to pick up shop and move a business that was in the same location for 48 years,” said Biggs. “I read some comments on social media after we made the announcement that we were relocating, and we had a mixed bag of responses. Some people said it would be the end for Munchys, some said they couldn’t wait. I knew that our product had survived for nearly half a decade, and we could do it.

“Since the move, the customer response has been beyond anything myself and our team could ever imagine. We truly feel the love and support from Jonesboro and know they want us here for 48 more years.”

Biggs says Munchys’ unique way of making sandwiches sets them apart from all the other places, that steaming the meat and bread bring out the full flavor of the meats and softens the bread to give it just the right combination.

“Seeing the brand be revived makes me the happiest,” said Biggs. “It’s such a unique restaurant and a staple for our community, I feel blessed to be able to keep it here for everyone to enjoy.”

Munchys, located at 2612 Red Wolf Blvd., is open Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call (870) 932-5360.