Restaurant Development in NW Arkansas

[Mith242]

The Blue Plate Cafe in Bentonville just changed to a Flying Burrito. Never been to either one, but looks like Flying Burrito is expanding pretty good. Is it fast-Mexican or more full-service restaurant?

I believe they refer to it as a fast casual Mexican. There are other restaurants similar to it around the country. It focuses mainly on thing like burritos and tacos and such. I guess the closest I could equate it to is a bit like Subway. You pick what you want then go down a line and pick what ingredients you want on it. I'm a big fan of Flying Burrito. It's spoiled me and I just can't go back to places like Taco Bell or Taco Bueno.

[masons_dad1]

I believe they refer to it as a fast casual Mexican. There are other restaurants similar to it around the country. It focuses mainly on thing like burritos and tacos and such. I guess the closest I could equate it to is a bit like Subway. You pick what you want then go down a line and pick what ingredients you want on it. I'm a big fan of Flying Burrito. It's spoiled me and I just can't go back to places like Taco Bell or Taco Bueno.

Yeah that's the term I was looking for. It does sound good and a step up above Taco Bueno. I'll have to try it.

[umpreach]

The new McDonalds is now open in Tontitown, to which I say a big woo--hoo. IMHO, the level of cuisine in W. Springdale just went WAAAY down. I really hope the west 412 corridor doesn't become junk food alley, overshadowing great places like Mary Maestri's, Mama Z's, and Venetian Inn.

[edensfall]

whats up with mcdonald's new mc cafe? i heard their coffee is killing star bucks bad.

[Mith242]

whats up with mcdonald's new mc cafe? i heard their coffee is killing star bucks bad.

I'd say the biggest thing is probably the price. Just as more people are shopping at Walmart this year to help stretch their funds, people aren't going to Starbucks as much or finding alternatives. I tried their coffee while I was out west earlier this year. Maybe I just got a bad cup of coffee, but I wasn't impressed at all.

[thewizard16]

whats up with mcdonald's new mc cafe? i heard their coffee is killing star bucks bad.

I haven't read anything about the success of the McCafe coffee vs. Starbucks, I would assume a decline in Starbucks sales right now would be as much the economy and people not wanting to pay $4-$6 a cup for a coffee drink right now, but having not read any data, that could be true as well. The McCafe coffees certainly seem to be using a better quality bean than before, and that they actually grind the beans in-store helps too. The prices are distinctly higher than their "premium roast" coffee was, but I actually don't mind their new coffees or lattes, and the last ones were weak at best. I don't think I'd go out of my way to go to a "mccafe" but I'm probably more willing to stop by there on impulse and pay $2 something for a latte than Starbucks and pay $4.

[krt479]

Hi, all! I'm a new member, but not new to this forum. I've been reading it for a while and decided to finally register. Has anyone tried Crabby's in Rogers? I didn't even know it was there until my husband and I drove by it the other day. Its just North of Village on the Creeks on Pinnacle Hills Parkway.

[Mith242]

Hi, all! I'm a new member, but not new to this forum. I've been reading it for a while and decided to finally register. Has anyone tried Crabby's in Rogers? I didn't even know it was there until my husband and I drove by it the other day. Its just North of Village on the Creeks on Pinnacle Hills Parkway.

Welcome to the forum. Can't say I've tried it. But I figure there's a good chance someone from the forum has been to it.

[nj829]

Welcome to the forum. Can't say I've tried it. But I figure there's a good chance someone from the forum has been to it.

I have been there, not a huge fan of seafood, so I didn't partake in that aspect, but they had a wide menu variety for those of us not into seafood. Crab cakes were good, but the bisque some in the party had was a bit cold. Otherwise, really nice atmosphere, and everyone came away full and thought it was pretty good, outside of the bisque issue! I would go again.

[strmchsr77]

It looks like 6th street will be gaining another fast food restaurant but this time it won't be a chicken place. Taco Bueno will be putting a restaurant on the corner of 6th and Eastern. That is just about a block west of the 6th and Razorback road intersection. This will be the second location for Fayetteville.

[thewizard16]

Good. I was afraid we were beginning to run short on fast food along Sixth street.

[slyder1]

It looks like 6th street will be gaining another fast food restaurant but this time it won't be a chicken place. Taco Bueno will be putting a restaurant on the corner of 6th and Eastern. That is just about a block west of the 6th and Razorback road intersection. This will be the second location for Fayetteville.

I was wanting to know if Taco Bell has a large presence in NWA. Taco Bueno opened 5 restaurants in Springfield two years ago and they are already closed. Springfieldian's are Taco Bell Fanatics, and since there is basically one on every corner, Taco Bueno never really had a chance. The Springfield market is pretty tough for restaurants, at least in the fast food category.

TheWizard16...

Good. I was afraid we were beginning to run short on fast food along Sixth street.

Gotta say, I don't think I've ever heard anyone being worried about having enough fast food places.

[Mith242]

I was wanting to know if Taco Bell has a large presence in NWA. Taco Bueno opened 5 restaurants in Springfield two years ago and they are already closed. Springfieldian's are Taco Bell Fanatics, and since there is basically one on every corner, Taco Bueno never really had a chance. The Springfield market is pretty tough for restaurants, at least in the fast food category.

Yeah Taco Bell has had a pretty big presence here. But Taco Bueno certainly has been making a move as well. As far as I know none of the Taco Buenos have closed in NWA.

Gotta say, I don't think I've ever heard anyone being worried about having enough fast food places.

I'm pretty sure he was being sarcastic. It seems there's hardly anything but fast food places along 6th.

[talldaddy]

Had the pleasure of sampling three new restaurants in the past few weeks. I'll start with my favorite

Brick House Restaurant. This had a silent opening on July 9th and I was fortunate enough to have a long lunch break. The restaurant is on College just south of 6th street on the west side of the road. It didn't have a placard yet, but is next to the old bus terminal and easy to find. It is an older house that has been nicely renovated. They had a upscale menu that ran 12 - 16 dollars an entree. I had a seared halibut with cranberry glaze and green beans. Very nicely done. The meal was started with a plate of blue cheese and crackers that was quite tasty. Had a latte that was excellent and finished the meal with a unique and intense dessert - a hibiscus sorbet that came with a slice of lime and a small glass of vanilla infused vodka that you drizzled over the sorbet. WOW, a taste sensation. Many other items looked very tasty, but portions were for the gourmet palette and not the person looking for a lot of calories. I will definitely be back. Currently open for lunch only, but do have plans for some dinners in the future.

Habbibi. This was a unique dining adventure. Spoke with the owner early in the week to make reservations and ensure a meal would be prepared. Found 5 other unsuspecting guests for fill out our party of 7. The menu had limited selections. Curry soup of salad as an appetizer, Lamb or chicken curry were the only options. The meal started and we were ushered into a uniquely styled, private room that was excellent for conversation. unfortunately, the AC was not up to snuff, but took the edge off the heat. We had home made hummus, chutney and cheese with crackers as an opener - all very nice. then the salad and soup which were unique, although a curry soup with tomato and lightly cooked onion was a bit different than my preference. The meal came with basmati rice, nice Naan and the curries that were fiesty and full bodied, Desert was a unique creation of Idian creme brulee. The execution of this desert was excellent and finished the meal off nicely. The owner also makes several nice cocktails including a mango martini that was very nice. We sat on the porch and tried a Hukka - not sure what the appeal is in sweet smoke, but the meal is worth the visit.

Lastly was a trip to Ruth Chris. I love a good steak and had heard many good reviews of Ruth Chris. We arrived with prompt service and ordered on the $89 for 2 special. Food arrived well prepared and savory. I was a bit disappointed that the steak was swimming in a plate of melted butter, but the filet was obviously a quality cut. the chocolate molten cake was OK. Food wise, a definite nice experience. However, for the price, I have a couple of complaints. Our waitress would get lost for 10 - 15 minutes at times and leave us without water. She brought dessert and forgot my coffee and then took 5 minutes for the coffee (no reason was provided) She was very slow to clear our dinner and then took nearly 15 minutes to pick up or credit cards after bringing the check. Also, the restaurant had the decor of a 60's restaurant - burnt orange carpet and lots of brown and burnt orange square fabric panels on the wall. Felt like a mismatch for the level of service they were touting - anyhow, likely not to go back while so many better options are in the area like the sanctuary and Bone fish....

[Mith242]

Had the pleasure of sampling three new restaurants in the past few weeks. I'll start with my favorite

Brick House Restaurant. This had a silent opening on July 9th and I was fortunate enough to have a long lunch break. The restaurant is on College just south of 6th street on the west side of the road. It didn't have a placard yet, but is next to the old bus terminal and easy to find. It is an older house that has been nicely renovated. They had a upscale menu that ran 12 - 16 dollars an entree. I had a seared halibut with cranberry glaze and green beans. Very nicely done. The meal was started with a plate of blue cheese and crackers that was quite tasty. Had a latte that was excellent and finished the meal with a unique and intense dessert - a hibiscus sorbet that came with a slice of lime and a small glass of vanilla infused vodka that you drizzled over the sorbet. WOW, a taste sensation. Many other items looked very tasty, but portions were for the gourmet palette and not the person looking for a lot of calories. I will definitely be back. Currently open for lunch only, but do have plans for some dinners in the future.

Habbibi. This was a unique dining adventure. Spoke with the owner early in the week to make reservations and ensure a meal would be prepared. Found 5 other unsuspecting guests for fill out our party of 7. The menu had limited selections. Curry soup of salad as an appetizer, Lamb or chicken curry were the only options. The meal started and we were ushered into a uniquely styled, private room that was excellent for conversation. unfortunately, the AC was not up to snuff, but took the edge off the heat. We had home made hummus, chutney and cheese with crackers as an opener - all very nice. then the salad and soup which were unique, although a curry soup with tomato and lightly cooked onion was a bit different than my preference. The meal came with basmati rice, nice Naan and the curries that were fiesty and full bodied, Desert was a unique creation of Idian creme brulee. The execution of this desert was excellent and finished the meal off nicely. The owner also makes several nice cocktails including a mango martini that was very nice. We sat on the porch and tried a Hukka - not sure what the appeal is in sweet smoke, but the meal is worth the visit.

Lastly was a trip to Ruth Chris. I love a good steak and had heard many good reviews of Ruth Chris. We arrived with prompt service and ordered on the $89 for 2 special. Food arrived well prepared and savory. I was a bit disappointed that the steak was swimming in a plate of melted butter, but the filet was obviously a quality cut. the chocolate molten cake was OK. Food wise, a definite nice experience. However, for the price, I have a couple of complaints. Our waitress would get lost for 10 - 15 minutes at times and leave us without water. She brought dessert and forgot my coffee and then took 5 minutes for the coffee (no reason was provided) She was very slow to clear our dinner and then took nearly 15 minutes to pick up or credit cards after bringing the check. Also, the restaurant had the decor of a 60's restaurant - burnt orange carpet and lots of brown and burnt orange square fabric panels on the wall. Felt like a mismatch for the level of service they were touting - anyhow, likely not to go back while so many better options are in the area like the sanctuary and Bone fish....

Cool, thanks for the reviews. I hadn't even heard of Brick House Restaurant yet.

[thewizard16]

I'm pretty sure he was being sarcastic. It seems there's hardly anything but fast food places along 6th.

Yes, I most certainly was. I should have included a smiley face or something to help clarify, haha. I was always surprised that there were so few (extremely few) sit-down restaurants on Sixth street considering it's relative traffic flow and the major events that are held near it. I'm not upset about it, it helps funnel people toward the privately-owned businesses on Dickson for dining and entertainment, and I think that's vital to the downtown area's economy, it just seems funny to have so many restaurant options right next to each other that all happen to be fast food.

[andrewjensen]

It looks like 6th street will be gaining another fast food restaurant but this time it won't be a chicken place. Taco Bueno will be putting a restaurant on the corner of 6th and Eastern. That is just about a block west of the 6th and Razorback road intersection. This will be the second location for Fayetteville.

I've seen signs for a Rockin' Chicken at the strip center across from Wal-Mart on 6th, so that should make it about 34 fried chicken spots on 6th now.

also, here's an article we did on the Mathews brothers and the McCafes. There are only about seven markets in the country where you can get them so far.

http://arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?a...17465&cID=i

[Mith242]

Nice little article on the new Jason's Deli going into Nelsons Crossing by Andrew.

http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.as...18641&cID=i

[Mith242]

3 Adult Clubs in the Area for Sale and More from Local Businessman

http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aID=105437

For those who are not aware, Tony Catroppa owns the three clubs (2 on North College and 1 in Missouri). While digging around it appears that he is selling at least 4 other businesses that he owns in the area.

The small diner on Garland which is open 24 hours

http://www.bizbuysell.com/cgi-bin/addetail...i=&q=367458

Business formerly called Fuzzy's and now is Tony C's Bar and Grill at 1313 North Garland

http://www.bizbuysell.com/cgi-bin/addetail...i=&q=367455

Sports Bar called Jerzee's at 326 North West Avenue (formerly Alligator's Rays, Tyson family actually owns the property through Bakery Building LLC)

http://www.bizbuysell.com/cgi-bin/addetail...i=&q=367175

Electric Cowgirl (across from the former Club West) 3530 W. 6th Street

http://www.bizbuysell.com/cgi-bin/addetail...i=&q=367457

Just a little update. I learned from Arkansas Business about some problems that Tony C has had in the past.

Tony C, as Catroppa is better known, has run afoul of the law repeatedly. Rogers residents may remember the Coyote Club being fined $1,500 and losing its liquor license for a month in 2004 after being found guilty of running an illegal adult cabaret.

His taxi service also ripped of the University of Arkansas to the tune of thousands of dollars operating the "Safe Ride" program. The UA eventually discovered drivers were falsifying reports on the number of rides given and were taking students from bar to bar or dropping them off at their cars instead of taking them home.

The full article is here.

http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.as...18651&cID=i

I hadn't heard about any of that. Honestly I haven't really heard anything good about him. He sorta screwed over someone I do a little business with at work when he opened his coffee shop that's not even open anymore. Sounds like it will probably be a better place with his businesses gone.

[andrewjensen]

I hadn't heard about any of that. Honestly I haven't really heard anything good about him. He sorta screwed over someone I do a little business with at work when he opened his coffee shop that's not even open anymore. Sounds like it will probably be a better place with his businesses gone.

I can attest to the Safe Ride thing myself since I was still in school at the time it was first introduced. The way it was supposed to work was the taxi picked you up at the bar or party and took you home. But what they did instead, was you could actually call them from home and they would take you to the bar, then just reverse the addresses for pickup and destination in order to charge the UA. They would also get the student ID numbers and addresses from everyone in the car and use them to make up other trips.

One time we called it to take us to the bar from our house and they sent their limo. The limo took us to the bar, then it sat outside the whole time we were there and eventually took us home. After that, we would call and request the limo and they would actually send it to pick us up. I think Tony C netted around $20,000 in fraudulent "Safe Rides," which led to the program being shut down until the UA started running it themselves.

[Mith242]

I can attest to the Safe Ride thing myself since I was still in school at the time it was first introduced. The way it was supposed to work was the taxi picked you up at the bar or party and took you home. But what they did instead, was you could actually call them from home and they would take you to the bar, then just reverse the addresses for pickup and destination in order to charge the UA. They would also get the student ID numbers and addresses from everyone in the car and use them to make up other trips.

One time we called it to take us to the bar from our house and they sent their limo. The limo took us to the bar, then it sat outside the whole time we were there and eventually took us home. After that, we would call and request the limo and they would actually send it to pick us up. I think Tony C netted around $20,000 in fraudulent "Safe Rides," which led to the program being shut down until the UA started running it themselves.

Honestly I've just never really heard anything good about the guy. Too many of his businesses seem to be suspect of somewhat 'shady'. Anybody is welcome to open up their own restaurant or bar or whatever. But I just think I'd rather see someone else's establishment do well rather than any of his.

[umpreach]

I noticed yesterday driving around Mall Ave. in Fayetteville that the for sale sign that was in front of Fuddruckers is gone, and that there was some activity going on inside. Does anyone know anything?

[comreguy]

I noticed yesterday driving around Mall Ave. in Fayetteville that the for sale sign that was in front of Fuddruckers is gone, and that there was some activity going on inside. Does anyone know anything?

The bank took the property back and they were cleaning the building to prepare for sale. Nobody's bought it.

[Mith242]

The bank took the property back and they were cleaning the building to prepare for sale. Nobody's bought it.

Thanks for the info.

[thewizard16]

I think it will be some time before that building sells (it's an extremely themed building, it'll cost quite a bit to convert it to something non-Fuddrucker's, and it's not a cheap property in the first place), but I'm glad to hear the bank is cleaning it up. It was looking a little shabby since the real estate company hadn't been mowing it well/often.