LITTLE ROCK — When a 3-year-old boy wanted a cowboy birthday party at the Cock of the Walk restaurant this summer, owner Bryan James Burkhalter wanted to make it unforgettable at no extra charge.
“He said, ‘I know someone who has ponies,’” said his wife, Alpha Burkhalter. “We had the ponies in the front yard and passed out carrots to the little kids. How many restaurant owners would do that?”
Burkhalter died Tuesday under Arkansas Hospice care at his Little Rock home from a liver disease, his wife said.
He was 54.
Born and raised in Ruston, La., Burkhalter got hooked on fishing with his grandfather in the south Louisiana waterfront town of Cocodrie.
In 1984, Burkhalter decided to take a little Cajunstyle cuisine to North Little Rock by opening Cock of the Walk restaurant, at 7103 Cock of the Walk Lane.
Known as “Fish” to most customers because of his variety of fish shirts, Burkhalter knew many of the restaurant’s diners by name. His employees became like “one big, goofy family,” his wife said. Brandon Rogers, who married Burkhalter’s stepdaughter, said he worked for Burkhalter for 17 years.
“When I was a teenager, about 16, 17, 18, I started to get into drinking heavily,” Rogers said. “He took me down to the [river] and had a talk to me about it. He was very fatherly about it and told me to straighten up and I did.”
Alpha Burkhalter said her husband never turned his back on anyone in need, even when he knew he’d get nothing in return. One time, a man arrived at the restaurant and told Burkhalter his car had broken down and he needed about $75.
“Bryan, he knew and saw right through it, but the man said, ‘I have collateral’ and brought an old tire in,” his wife said. “He said, ‘You keep my tire and I’ll come back.’ We still have that tire in the attic.”
In 1999, Bryan and Alpha were married in New Orleans and saw France, Spain and Italy on their honeymoon cruise, befriending two other couples.
“Those guys had the best time,” his wife said. “They’d go to the crow’s nest and smoke fine cigars and drink their vino and laugh and talk.”
Burkhalter was a familiar face in the community, whether he was serving as president of the Arkansas Restaurant Association or appearing on a local television station to show how to Cajun-fry a turkey safely.
However, Burkhalter’s legacy was his restaurant’s made-from-scratch food, often served up with a joke and a smile from the owner, his wife said.
“He could make a country song out of any phrase,” Alpha Burkhalter said. “He was a very funny Louisiana man.”
Away from the restaurant, Burkhalter enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren who called him “Poppy,” fishing and eating gourmet meals.
“He liked a good white flaky fish, with angel hair pasta and fresh asparagus with a lemon butter caper sauce,” said Alpha Burkhalter, who is a gourmet chef. “That’s one of the last meals he asked me to fix for him ... he took one bite and said, ‘Thank you, but I just can’t,’” because his body became too weak to eat.
A faithful spirit, Burkhalter is now busy “making a home for us,” in heaven, his wife said, while his ashes will be laid to rest where his childhood memories live on.
“We’re going to take Bryan’s ashes back to Cocodrie,” Alpha Burkhalter said. “We’re going to put him in the ocean so he can fish forever.”
Arkansas, Pages 12 on 11/09/2012