BRYANT — Get your grub on in Bryant.
The 18th annual Taste of Bryant presented by the Greater Bryant Chamber of Commerce and featuring 30 area restaurants, will begin at 6 p.m. Aug. 3 in Bishop Park.
“We always have a pretty good turnout,” event coordinator Kim Leech said. “You get to go from table to table, trying different food. It is awesome.
“You can go from pizza to something eloquent from Dinner’s Ready and then back to Domino’s or Burger King for some french fries.”
Leech, who is finishing up her second term as a board member for the chamber, said she has been involved with the event on and off for the past 12 years.
“This is my third year to chair the committee,” Leech said. “I am a board member, and they encourage the board members to be heavily involved, obviously, in these events.
“It kind of goes hand in hand.”
Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $5 for children ages 6 to 12. Kids 5 and under will be admitted free. For more information or tickets, visit www.bryantchamber.com or call (501) 847-4702.
“The biggest thing that we have added this year is our VIP room that we are calling Dave & Buster’s VIP Room,” Leech said. “The actual event is downstairs in the gym, and upstairs, we have taken over the big space for a VIP room.”
Leech said Dave & Buster’s of Little Rock will bring some of its games, and there will also be a DJ, and beer and wine will be served.
“There will also be some additional food that is specific to the VIP room and not on the floor,” Leech said.
Adults ages 21 and older can purchase tickets to the VIP room for an additional $5.
“With the Taste of Bryant, we have always been family-oriented, which we want to keep as well,” Leech said, “but we also wanted to add something for the members of our chamber and community who may not have little kids that have to be in bed by 8 p.m.
“We wanted to have a little bit different vibe for them as well.”
Todd Rhoden, the president and CEO for the chamber, said he is trying to be as accommodating as possible and as sensitive as possible.
“Last year, I had people come up to me and ask me, ‘Where is the alcohol?’ But I also had people come up to me and say they were glad Taste of Bryant doesn’t serve [alcohol],” Rhoden said. “So we are partnering with another company to give the people what they want.”
Rhodes said he established a relationship with Jeremy Jones, the assistant general manager at Dave & Buster’s, after Rhodes’ and Jones’ wives became friends.
“I have established a really good relationship with them over there and have also worked really closely with Jessica Ward and Chuck Beyer, the general manager,” Rhoden said.
He said Dave & Buster’s will bring its spin wheel to give guests a chance to win prizes.
“They are also bringing Baggo, and we have talked about bringing Pac-Man as well,” Rhoden said. “We will have a chocolate fountain, pull in some couches and high tables.
“We want to give it the feel of a club inside a club.”
The VIP room will open at 7:30 p.m.
“We are really excited about that and hope it goes over well,” Rhoden said.
The Senior Adult Center is part of Bishop Park as well, and Leech said there will be a band for the senior adults in their area.
“They can get their food, then walk down to the Senior Adult Center and enjoy music they like,” said Leech, a mortgage loan officer at Iberia Bank in Bryant. “So we have something for the younger people, the young families and the senior adults.
“We don’t want to leave anyone out.”
Rhoden said that even though Dave & Buster’s is in Little Rock, the business has a lot of customers in Bryant.
“We are looking to expand our reach out there. We are still focused on being family-friendly,” Rhoden said.
“This is just an addition to extend the evening and allow people to have a kind of date night. It is new and fresh,” he said.
Leech said Taste of Bryant typically hosts between 600 and 700 guests.
“It acts as a fundraiser for the chamber, and it is part of the operating expense,” Leech said.
New restaurants for this year include AGAVE Grill, a Mexican-American fusion restaurant that recently opened in Benton, and 501 Nutrition Zone.
Taziki’s, which is located near the Bass Pro Shops in Little Rock, and David’s Burgers will also be at the event for the first time.
“Then we have the ones that have been there year in and year out, such as Harps Food Store, Dinner’s Ready and Colton’s Steak House — the ones that have been with us for the 18 years,” Leech said. “We are pretty excited about what we’ve got.”
There will also be a silent auction, featuring 50 to 85 items, Leech said, “ranging from things as normal as Yeti cups to weekend getaways. We have some really good different stuff.”
Leech said the event also has about 18 exhibit booths confirmed so far.
“Those include Cricket Wireless, Stated Apparel and Evergreen Living Center,” she said. “Our vendor exhibit has about 15 to 25, typically.
“It goes up and down with the years.”
Leech credited staff members at Bishop Park for their help in putting on Taste of Bryant.
“We have been very fortunate ever since Bishop has opened to have a really good relationship with them,” Leech said. “They help us out with cost, and their employees are a huge asset to us.
“They are extremely helpful.”
Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.