Restaurant Development in NW Arkansas

[Stormcrow]

Out of curiosity, is the concept your opening Five Guys? I'm working with a Five Guys franchise that is launching in Omaha and may be of some help.

Is this the Five Guys burger joint out of the DC area?? When one of those opened up to much hype in the town I was living in outside Baltimore you would have thought the skies had parted and the Lord Himself had come to town the way the locals fawned over it. I was terribly disappointed. Absolutely nothing special about the place other than people's fond memories of their days as a Twerp at College Park.

Surely this is a different Five Guys. I sincerely hope they've not made that big of an expansion so quickly.

[comreguy]

Is this the Five Guys burger joint out of the DC area?? When one of those opened up to much hype in the town I was living in outside Baltimore you would have thought the skies had parted and the Lord Himself had come to town the way the locals fawned over it. I was terribly disappointed. Absolutely nothing special about the place other than people's fond memories of their days as a Twerp at College Park.

Surely this is a different Five Guys. I sincerely hope they've not made that big of an expansion so quickly.

Same Five Guys. They have a few hundred locations nationwide and are being franchised into C. Arkansas by a Memphis group.

Probably the hottest fast casual franchise going right now in terms of buzz and rate of expansion.

I'm personally excited that they are making a foray into Arkansas.

[Stormcrow]

Same Five Guys. They have a few hundred locations nationwide and are being franchised into C. Arkansas by a Memphis group.

Probably the hottest fast casual franchise going right now in terms of buzz and rate of expansion.

I'm personally excited that they are making a foray into Arkansas.

Geez louise, they've exploded then. As I said, I was extremely unimpressed. Everything was greasy X10. They make they're patties fresh and they're pretty good sized but really, I've had comparable food at a dozen podunk greasy spoons around this state. Think Whattaburger in Russellville here but with less history and less "ambience."

Now...a DC area chain I sure wouldn't mind seeing is Ledo Pizza! http://www.ledopizza.com/ Oooh and while I'm wishing and dreaming...Hard Times Cafe! http://hardtimes.reachlocal.net/

[jdevers]

I would really like either a Pizza Uno or an Imo's Pizza...I'm greedy and would like them in Fayetteville, but I will take somewhere in Benton county as well. I know these two are polar opposites, but I sure do like pizza

[butttrumpet]

Greenhouse Grille is great. I wish they had a bigger space and a better location. I'd go there more often.

[strmchsr77]

Geez louise, they've exploded then. As I said, I was extremely unimpressed. Everything was greasy X10. They make they're patties fresh and they're pretty good sized but really, I've had comparable food at a dozen podunk greasy spoons around this state. Think Whattaburger in Russellville here but with less history and less "ambience."

Now...a DC area chain I sure wouldn't mind seeing is Ledo Pizza! http://www.ledopizza.com/ Oooh and while I'm wishing and dreaming...Hard Times Cafe! http://hardtimes.reachlocal.net/

I had Five Guys in Philly a few months back and really enjoyed it. I would love to see them have some locations in the Fayetteville area. It is not a place I would go every time I wanted a hamburger but a few times per year would be nice.

[halfdeserted]

Greenhouse Grille is great. I wish they had a bigger space and a better location. I'd go there more often.

I've only eaten there once. I bit into my chicken sandwich only to find that the chicken was completely raw in the middle, and in fact was only barely cooked on the outside. Yuck! My lunch companion had something else with chicken and had the same problem. I've never had the urge to eat there again.

[butttrumpet]

Thats awful. I've only been three times, and always for dinner, but I've always really enjoyed my meals there.

[comreguy]

The Starbucks at Pinnacle Hills by Ruth Chris closed and they are taking all of the equipment out today. Looks like a great opportunity for another coffee shop or restaurant, as it always seemed really busy.

[RAK]

That one really bugs me. That Starbucks was doing well. That's counterproductive.

I'm guessing that they thought the one in Target was close enough...and cheaper to maintain.

[umpreach]

Isn't there a Chili's in Siloam Springs? Seems odd to have one in Siloam Springs but can't go in the second biggest city in NWA. Although it probably doesn't help that there are other Chili locations not too far away from the Springdale location.

There isn't a Chili's in Siloam Springs; there are others in Fayetteville and Rogers. I really don't understand its closing; every time I was in there, the restaurant was full and the food and service were good (as good as any other Chili's or comparable). On another note, the new mexican restaurant, Cancun, that went in the old Sizzler location in Springdale, is decent.

[RAK]

It seems to me that often, as with many of the Starbucks and some other businesses in the area, it has to do with the store being just too new to have proven itself to corporate. They must figure that if they close these down, then they haven't invested too much money on them. Not good business sense in my eyes. Short-sighted.

[Senator]

Looks like Indian food is finally coming to Fayetteville: http://www.fayettevilleflyer.com/2009/03/0...n-fayetteville/

Also, I tried a new Mexican place, Mojito's Mexican Grill, which is in that shopping center across from Razorback Cinema and Walmart in the spot where Larry's Pizza used to be. It was decorated in a really classy, modern way inside, and the food was excellent. I am tempted to say it's my favorite Mexican place in Fayetteville, though I do like El Camino Real and La Huerta a lot. Prices were definitely reasonable, and they have a huge menu. Plus the staff provided really good service; the manager came by and made sure everything was tasting good, and my drink was always full. They have a pretty well-stocked bar as well, which could be a lot of fun after catching a movie.

Right next to IO Metro in the same center as Mojito's is a new place called Louie's (Bar and Grill?). I took a quick look at the menu before we decided to eat Mexican food, and it looks like typical bar food along with some other sandwiches and salads. The menu wasn't exactly expansive, but it looked pretty nice on the inside and seemed to be busy enough to warrant dinner sometime. Be sure to post if you try it!

Here's some pics of Mojito's (sorry for the poor quality, they're from an iPhone):

tables:

booths:

cazuelada fajitas:

...and my favorite, fried tamales

[Mith242]

Looks like Indian food is finally coming to Fayetteville: http://www.fayettevilleflyer.com/2009/03/0...n-fayetteville/

Also, I tried a new Mexican place, Mojito's Mexican Grill, which is in that shopping center across from Razorback Cinema and Walmart in the spot where Larry's Pizza used to be. It was decorated in a really classy, modern way inside, and the food was excellent. I am tempted to say it's my favorite Mexican place in Fayetteville, though I do like El Camino Real and La Huerta a lot. Prices were definitely reasonable, and they have a huge menu. Plus the staff provided really good service; the manager came by and made sure everything was tasting good, and my drink was always full. They have a pretty well-stocked bar as well, which could be a lot of fun after catching a movie.

Right next to IO Metro in the same center as Mojito's is a new place called Louie's (Bar and Grill?). I took a quick look at the menu before we decided to eat Mexican food, and it looks like typical bar food along with some other sandwiches and salads. The menu wasn't exactly expansive, but it looked pretty nice on the inside and seemed to be busy enough to warrant dinner sometime. Be sure to post if you try it!

Here's some pics of Mojito's (sorry for the poor quality, they're from an iPhone):

tables:

booths:

cazuelada fajitas:

...and my favorite, fried tamales

Cool, thanks for the info and the pics.

[RAK]

Are they still working on that Mexican place that was supposed to take over the old Fuddrucker's or did that go belly up already? Seems like it's not doing anything.

[Mith242]

Saw a write up in the newspaper about a new restaurant called Mezza Luna. It's somewhere on Razorback Rd and features northern Italian food. Sounded interesting but I'm having a hard time imagining just where exactly it would be located. Is it somewhere south of 6th/MLK?

[jtoddgill]

Saw a write up in the newspaper about a new restaurant called Mezza Luna. It's somewhere on Razorback Rd and features northern Italian food. Sounded interesting but I'm having a hard time imagining just where exactly it would be located. Is it somewhere south of 6th/MLK?

It's next door to Wet Pig BBQ. Here's a link.

[Mith242]

It's next door to Wet Pig BBQ. Here's a link.

Cool, thanks for the info.

[jdevers]

There was already a pizza place next to Wet Pig, did they just rename it and expand the menu?

[Mith242]

There was already a pizza place next to Wet Pig, did they just rename it and expand the menu?

Good question. I know that Mezza Luna does serve Tuscan style pizza.

[andrewjensen]

Good question. I know that Mezza Luna does serve Tuscan style pizza.

It's owned by Juan Barcenas, former chef at Bordino's and the menu is what he offered at Picasso's Pizza.

http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.as...20.54928.125553

Chef Juan is back in business.

Juan Barcenas, who was chef at Bordino's for many years before opening Picasso's Pizza in west Fayetteville, opened Mezza Luna on March 4.

Located in the former home of Hog Wild Pizza in a strip center just north of Baum Stadium, Mezza Luna's menu will look familiar to fans of Barcenas' work.

Salads from Ceaser to Caprese and fine appetizers like focaccia bread and crab cakes are Barcenas standards, and his Tuscany-style pizza earned him at least one rave review soon after he opened.

"A woman called back later and said it was the best pizza she ever had," Barcenas said, beaming. He uses only the best cheeses and the marinara sauce is homemade.

Barcenas said after serving nine customers the first night he had 60 the next. He's hired 12 people, four cooks and eight servers, and will be offering an all-Italian wine menu as well.

Once the business is more established, he will also add his salmon, beef tenderloin and chicken marsala specialties.

Mezza Luna, which means "half moon" in Italian, opens at 11 a.m. for lunch and will be open until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Barcenas said he plans to modify the mood in the evenings by closing shades and lowering lights for a more intimate feel.

Barcenas was able to negotiate a favorable lease in the recently available location and is using his own money to bankroll his new venture.

"I feel this is a blessing," he said.

[jllive]

I was there last night. The food was great and the wait staff was attentive. As soon as my wife and I saw the sign at the front entrance, we knew it was the same chef from Picasso's. The menu was undeniably Picasso's inspired as well. I'm really glad he's back because Picasso's was one of my favorite restaurants in Fayetteville.

And one more thought... Mezza Luna is in a much better location. It is more accessible and centrally located. Also, the setting in the restaurant was very enjoyable. Good luck to them.

[Mith242]

Thanks for the added info on Mezza Luna guys.

[jdevers]

Is the pizza better than Picasso's? I only tried it once, but it was horrible, very "Tony's pizza" like in my opinion...

[jllive]

Is the pizza better than Picasso's? I only tried it once, but it was horrible, very "Tony's pizza" like in my opinion...

You may have gone to Picasso's after chef Barcenas left or just had a bad experience. Picasso's really went down hill after he left. I always thought Picasso's pizzas were pretty good, so I will definately give them a try at Mezza Luna.

By the way, I had Mezza's calzone and it was excellent.