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1 week ago | 
arkansasbusiness.com | Jan Cottingham
The Barnaby Group, founded by Mary Olive and John Stephens, has made some big moves lately, so I visited with the Little Rock hospitality group’s daily operating partners — Greg Baber, David Hesselbein and Wes Mickel — to get some further insight into the company’s origins and its plans. For those who need a reminder, the Barnaby Group is the company behind George’s restaurant at 5510 Kavanaugh Blvd. in Little Rock’s Heights neighborhood, which many readers remember as the former Cafe Prego.
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1 month ago | 
arkansasbusiness.com | Jan Cottingham
The cost of ingredients, specifically eggs, and of labor is behind the decision to close the popular Bagel Shop in Little Rock and transition to a new restaurant concept, Rex’s, said Myles Roberson, founder and owner of both.
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2 months ago | 
arkansasbusiness.com | Jan Cottingham
Four new Rock N’ Roll Sushi restaurants are under development in Arkansas, with one in Jonesboro set to open in May, and one in Hot Springs expected to open this summer. A third is planned for Fort Smith, while a fourth will be located in northwest Arkansas.
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Mar 3, 2025 | 
arkansasbusiness.com | Jan Cottingham
One of the things lost in the controversy over Alan Bubbus’ plans for a slaughterhouse in North Little Rock was the restaurateur’s endgame. Bubbus, the owner of David’s Burgers, said his 10 burger restaurants use about 1 million pounds of hamburger meat a year. He is intent on improving the quality of the beef he sells, cutting costs, increasing efficiency and reducing risk. Building a slaughterhouse would help him achieve those goals.
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Feb 3, 2025 | 
arkansasbusiness.com | Jan Cottingham
Three years after Arkansas Business first broke the news that the state was getting its first sake brewery, Origami Sake in Hot Springs, the business is poised for breakout growth. After signing with a new distributor in December, Republic Nation Distributing Co., Origami, now in 15 states, plans to expand to 36 markets this year, said Matt Bell. Bell co-founded Origami Sake with Little Rock native and sake specialist Ben Bell.
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Dec 8, 2024 | 
arkansasbusiness.com | Jan Cottingham
The 114,056-SF expansion of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is more than two-thirds complete, with almost all of the exterior build-out finished, the Bentonville museum’s leaders said. “You can start to see and feel the spaces and how they’re going to be when we’re finished,” Rod Bigelow, executive director of the museum, said in an interview late last month.
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Dec 1, 2024 | 
arkansasbusiness.com | Jan Cottingham
How do two chefs build their business from a food truck to two brick-and-mortar locations in less than four years? Hard work, good timing, help from economic development organizations, a bank and friends, and excellent croissants. This is the story of The Croissanterie in Little Rock, founded and owned by Jill McDonald, executive chef, and Wendy Schay, pastry chef. Both are certified executive chefs, having earned that designation from the American Culinary Federation.
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Nov 3, 2024 | 
arkansasbusiness.com | Jan Cottingham
Opened just four years ago, Point Remove Brewing Co. of Morrilton stood at No. 10 on the Arkansas Business list of largest breweries in Arkansas, published in July, increasing production from 8,900 gallons in 2021 to more than 24,000 last year. And last month, the brewery opened a second location, a taproom and small-production brewery in Russellville called Point Remove at Central Fire Station, located at 203 W.
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Oct 6, 2024 | 
arkansasbusiness.com | Jan Cottingham
I want to expand a bit on what we reported last week in our Whispers column about Wing It Forward’s plans for Little Rock, with an emphasis on the idea behind the restaurant and the meaning behind the name. For those who missed it, Chris Maynes, president of the Whole Hog Cafe chain, based in Little Rock, told us that a Wing It Forward chicken wings restaurant was planned for the space next door to the Whole Hog at 2516 Cantrell Road, in the space formerly occupied by Tuesday Morning.
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Sep 4, 2024 | 
arkansasbusiness.com | Jan Cottingham
More on Diamond Bear Brewing:► Craft Breweries In the Age of COVID-19► Diamond Bear’s Arkansas Alehouse One Step on the Growth Path► Diamond Bear Brewing to Move to North Little Rock► Diamond Bear Expansion Almost Doubles CapacityDiamond Bear Brewing Co. in North Little Rock is going up for auction on Oct. 25, unless, owner Russ Melton said, he gets a suitable offer beforehand. To be clear, what’s being offered for sale is the 3-acre property at 600 N. Broadway St. and the 15,435-SF facility.
