LITTLE ROCK — Mooyah Burgers, Fries and Shakes
will open the first two of what its local developer says may be as many as 50 Arkansas and north Louisiana outlets in the next couple of months:
April 9 is the target date to open at 3954 Central Ave., Hot Springs.
Scott Strzelecki, the Little Rock franchise development agent for the Frisco, Texasbased operation, says a first Little Rock location is expected to open on or about May 15 at 14810 Cantrell Road, which is being vacated by
Blue Coast Burrito
.
A second Little Rock outlet is in the works for midautumn in the Riverdale shopping center on Cantrell Road that currently houses the Riverdale 10 movie theater, Office Depot and
Pizza Hut;
used to house a Saver’s outlet, part of which is where the new restaurant is most likely to go; and will soon house a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market in the former Harvest Foods store. (Also in that shopping center: a
Subway
that Strzelecki developed.)
Subsequent Mooyah outlets are likely to show up in Pine Bluff (Strzelecki is negotiating about space in the Pines Mall), at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway and in several locations in Northwest Arkansas.
Mooyah’s philosophy, says Michael Mabry, the company’s director of franchise: “Everything’s fresh.” The ground beef is never frozen; the fries are fresh-cut and cooked in trans-fat-free oil; each location bakes its buns in on-premise bakeries; themilkshakes, according to a news release, are 100 percent hand-spun from Dreyer’s ice cream; and the burgers, Mabry says, are “100 percent customizable,” including the vegetable and turkey burgers.
Mabry says Mooyah management is excited about moving into Arkansas, not least because it’s the home of Wal-Mart and Tyson Foods. “There’s a lot of activity in the state,” he says. “It’s a healthy market for us and a great platform for the brand.”
Check out the menu at mooyah.com.
One of our sharp-eyed readers spotted in a recent set of legal ads that
Santo Coyote
has filed for a beer permit filing for its second location, in the western spur of the Pleasant Ridge Town Center, 11610 Pleasant Ridge Drive, off Cantrell Road. Construction continues in the end-cap storefront; a spokesman for the North Little Rock first location says it’ll be open in two or three more months. We’ll keep you posted.
And speaking of the Pleasant Ridge Town Center, Altan Gongor, manager of
Sky Modern Japanese, says the target date for the opening of the restaurant, in the shopping center’s main location, 11525 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, is sometime the first week of April. Last week we reported the hours of the “Sushi-Hibachi-Bar” - 11 a.m.-close Monday-Friday, noon-close Saturday-Sunday- and the telephone number, (501) 224-4300. The website, like the restaurant, is still under construction.
April 2 is the target date to open
Bumpy’s Tex Mex Grill
& Cantina
in what had been the former west Little Rock branch of
The Faded Rose, in the Bowman Curve Shopping Center, 400 N. Bowman Road, Little Rock. Co-owner Wade Greenough says the menu will feature the usual Tex-Mex standards, including tacos (but also with fish and shrimp tacos) and enchiladas, as well as some more American fare (including baby-back ribs), plus a few specialty items - “a crawfish queso that’ll be unique to us,” and “a flatbread Mexican pizza appetizer.” He’ll also be offering free ice cream. Hours will be 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. The phone number is (501) 379-8327.
The Green Corner Store, 1423 Main St., Little Rock, will open a soda fountain and ice cream bar April 7, featuring Loblolly Creamery ice cream, baked-in-house waffle cones, milkshakes and seasonal sodas (including bottled-on-site herbal varieties), most made from local, fair trade and organic ingredients. The physical soda fountain features a marble bar and large engraved mirror, honoring the history of the building, home to the C.H. Dawson Drugstore and Soda Fountain from 1905-67. Soda Fountain hours will be noon-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday with special late hours in the summer. The telephone number is (501) 374-1111; the website, thegreencornerstore.com.
Cameron Luth, who Jan. 1 took over ownership at
Bunker’s Sports Bar & Grill
at the Greens at North Hills, 7404 Arkansas 107, Sherwood, has hired a new chef: Cody Muehlhausen, former butcher at
Argenta Market, who has already started tweaking the menu and is, according to Luth, doing “all sorts of crazy stuff.” That includes halfpound burgers - “we grind the meat ourselves,” Luth says, and some Thursday-Saturday specials (folks have been raving, via the eatery’s Facebook page, about the fried chicken). Hours are 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-1 a.m. Friday-Saturday. The phone number is (501) 833-3303 and you can find the current menu at thegreensatnorthhills.net.
Porter’s Jazz Cafe, 315 Main St., Little Rock, has retreated, or at least been pulled, back from the brink. The club’s owners settled a dispute with their landlord/developer over rent and regained the club’s liquor license, lost temporarily in February while state sales taxes remained unpaid.
We’re not exactly sure when it went under, but
Say MacIntosh on Seventh, 2801 W. Seventh St., Little Rock, hasclosed and calling its telephone number, (501) 664-6656, results in a “not a working number” message.
Has a restaurant opened - or closed - near you in the last week or so? Does your favorite eatery have a new menu? Is there a new chef in charge? Drop us a line. Call (501) 399-3667 or (501) 378-3513, or send a note to Restaurants, Weekend Section, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 121 E. Capitol Ave., Little Rock, Ark. 72201. Send e-mail to:
Weekend, Pages 34 on 03/22/2012