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I could see a Dick’s Sporting Goods or another big box retailer occupying the space. I’m not sure on Trader Joe’s even though that would be nice.

Arkansas Online reports that the former Chenal 9 Theater will reopen as AMC Theaters 9 as a dine in theater similar to Movie Tavern that opened at the Gateway Town Center back in January. The renovated theater will feature acholol, food, and wine.

Five Below Store is coming to The Kroger Marketplace Shopping Center next to Marshall’s. This will be their first Little Rock location.

Maybe a major family entertainment center (ex: Incredible Pizza Company even though the space is kind of small for them) can locate in that space.

Ruby Tuesday in Bryant is now closed.

Tru By Hilton is now open.

According to Kark, River Fest will make its comeback this year by a Memphis based firm who acquire rights of the name.

Movie Tavern is now open.

Longhorn Steakhouse is planning on opening a location on that site.

They claim they look everywhere in Arkansas but could not find a site that fits their requirements. Personally, I think they are making excuses because there are some wealthy people in Little Rock who exceed that income and the population definitely exceed 200,000 within 20 miles (Gateway Town Center fits that criteria in terms of population). I’m not buying the fact that Memphis has that average of income. Maybe city officials can encourage them to reconsider the Arkansas market.

They said they need a population of 200,000 and an average income of $80,000.00 a year within 20 miles in order for possible sites. I’m sure Memphis doesn’t have that type of income within the location at the Wolfchase mall.

For those of you all hoping for a Cheesecake Factory in Arkansas, it’s not going to happen anytime soon. I just got off the phone from a representative at their real estate department who states the population and income does not meet their requirements even in the nicest part of town (ex: Chenal). I’m surprised the representative mentioned income too low considering Memphis income is not that much greater even though there’s more population.

You’re probably right. I will most likely be the same old junk stores (ex: Mattress , Cell Phone Stores, or a nail saloon) like other strip centers around town. I hope the Strip center will include this fast casual restaurant: *Salata www.salata.com I think that project is on hold for right now. Maybe their real estate developer would change their mind if more people request a Pappadeaux location in Little Rock. Until then, it would be awhile before they consider Little Rock as a potential location.

I’ve notice Pappadeaux open most of their new locations around Texas (most recently at DFW airport) and rarely open locations outside of Texas. Birmingham is the last location that open outside of Texas. I would love to see a Legal Seafood Restaurant here but I don’t see that happening anytime soon with most of their locations on the East Coast. I love the one in Boston. The food was very good in my opinion. Most Bubba Gumps are located in heavy tourist areas such as New Orleans, New York City, Orlando, and Los Angeles for example. I’m pretty sure that won’t happen here in a long time. I don’t see Joe’s Crab Shack coming anytime soon as Landry’s significantly downsized Joe’s locations around the country . The one in Memphis remains open as of now. With that being said, It wouldn’t surprise me if they open some of their other concepts (ex: Claim Jumper, Cadillac Bar, or Landry’s Seafood) in the area sometime in the future.

That would definitely be nice, however, a representative from Pappas Restaurants corporate office in Houston recently stated there’s no plans to open a Pappadeaux restaurant in Arkansas within 5 years. I hope she’s wrong because they have some deauxlicious food!

I agree. The new Movie Tavern theater will not affect ticket sales at the planned AMC Theater. There will still be people who prefer AMC theater due to the only IMAX theater in the area. I’m sure mall management is frustrated as well to see an vacant theater closed that long.

I feel sorry for the employees to receive a short notice on them losing their jobs in a week. I wonder what will replace the locations in the future (Furr’s Fresh Buffet maybe?).

I would love for that to be true but unfortunately that won’t happen at least for now. The company that owned Joe’s (Ignite) file for bankruptcy this past summer and has closed numerous locations across the country. Thankfully, the remaining Joe’s Crab Shack has been sold back to its original owners, Landry’s . I doubt if Landry’s would expand Joe’s Crab Shack anytime soon. With that being said, it still would be nice to have a nice seafood restaurant in that area as it would be perfect by the lake in that area.

Are there any updates on the movie theater converting to AMC? The theater was suppose to be open by this month under AMC Chenal 9 but the management at the shopping center has been quiet on that project. I wonder what is causing the delay?

Here is an update on this development as of now: Looks like construction on Movie Tavern is almost complete from the outside and inside. I drove by there recently and noticed the inside is almost done and quite nice! Construction is also coming along with Saltgrass Steakhouse and Hooters. I was told by a contractor that Saltgrass should be open by January and Hooters next April. Next to Hooter’s is a huge vacant lot that is rumored to be a seafood house. Not sure on that but it would still be nice to have a true seafood restaurant in that area especially by the lake for a nice scenery. The Tru by Hilton Hotel is almost complete next to Movie Tavern.

I’m sure everyone knows about this but Dixie Cafe has closed all of its locations (including some out of state locations) last Wednesday. They cited declining sales along with food costs as the main factor. Personally, I’m saddened about the closure because that used to be my favorite place to eat at when I was younger. It’s even worse that the employees lost their jobs right before Christmas. I think they should have waited till at least the end of the year so employees could have the opportunity to find another jobs. Do anybody noticed a couple of area restaurants closed down these past months (ex: Arkansas Burger, Cock of the Walk, Mimi’s Cafe, etc)?

Uncle Julio's would be new to the market. The rest of the list is ok but I was hoping something new like Cheesecake Factory or Razzoos Cajun Cafe would locate there.

There was an article published on Arkansas Online website July 12 in regards to an update of the former Sears site. According to the article, the Dallas based developer proposed 5 restaurants on the website (it was later removed) and a junior anchor. Personally, I was hoping we have some restaurants new to the market.

Gymboree will be closing stores in Park Plaza, MCCain Mall, and th Outlets of Little Rock. There are listed on the retailer's website page.

Kentucky Fried Chicken applied for a plumbing permit at the the former KFC property that burned down early this year.