Get hungry, restaurant fans. It’s time for some restaurant news.
Here’s what we know about several places that are opening, closing, moving, or coming soon to Fayetteville.
Qdoba
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When Qdoba closed its Dickson Street location a few years ago, they vowed to eventually return in a new location on Joyce Boulevard in the future.
They kept their promise. The burrito restaurant has returned to Fayetteville with a new location at 637 E. Joyce Boulevard.
The San Diego-based chain, which operates more than 600 locations nationally, specialized in build-your-own burritos, tacos, and other dishes.
Spoon Korean Restaurant
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Speaking of Qdoba, it looks like a new restaurant is coming soon to their former space on Dickson Street.
Renovations have been ongoing in the space, and we’re told the new tenants will be a restaurant called Spoon Korean Restaurant.
Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to find much additional info on this one just yet. We’re kind of hoping there will be some Korean BBQ involved, though.
We’ll keep you posted.
Cat Head Biscuits
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Cat Head Biscuits, the breakfast sandwich food truck created by the folks behind Arsaga’s, closed over the winter, and that closure is unfortunately for good.
We reached out to Ava Arsaga from the business, who filled us in on the situation.
Sadly we had to close down the biscuit truck at the end of last season and have no plans currently to reopen. It was a labor of love and it never quite got to a sustainable place financially.
It’s not all bad news, though. Fans of the restaurant can still get a biscuit when they’re craving one.
“We are still making Cathead biscuits and we offer them as one of our plates at the Depot (Cathead Biscuits & Gravy),” Arsaga said.
Bee’s Style: Egg Rolls & Fried Rice
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Meanwhile, a new food truck is now open in the spot where Cathead Biscuits used to operate.
The new truck, called Bee’s Style Egg Rolls & Fried Rice, specializes in “authentic tasty Asian cuisine,” according to their Facebook page.
Their menu includes a host of Asian dishes, including fried rice, lo mein, orange chicken, chicken wings & rice, egg rolls, spring rolls, and others.
The truck is open Monday-Saturday from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. for lunch, and 5-7:30 p.m. for dinner.
Tula
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A new Mexican restaurant is coming to the Fayetteville square.
The new place will be called Tula, and will open in East Square Plaza in the space formerly home to Burrito Loco (along with some of the space that used to be part of local boutique Savoir Faire. They recently reduced the size of their space by a bit).
Owner Rodney Barnes said he isn’t quite ready to discuss specifics of the restaurant just yet, but hopes to have a better idea of when they’ll be up and running in the next few weeks.
Cheers at the OPO
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A restaurant is once again in business at the center of the Fayetteville Square.
Cheers at the OPO officially opened for business in the former Post office (1 E. Center) in the center of the square on Friday, April 5.
The restaurant focuses on steaks, seafood, along with sandwiches, burgers, salads, soups, and more.
Owner Curtis Arnold told us that, at least at first, the restaurant will only be open for dinner, though lunch service could be added very soon.
For now, the restaurant is open Monday-Thursday from 4-10 p.m., and Friday & Saturday from 4-11 p.m.
Little Bread Company
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Little Bread Company is about to get a little bit bigger.
The barber shop next door to the bakery moved out recently, and Little Bread Co-Owner Chloe Gallemore told us the restaurant plans to expand into the space.
The main reason for the expansion, Gallemore said, is to add much needed seating for the bakery, and the additional space will be utilized primarily for that purpose.
No timetable for completion of the project has been determined just yet. We’ll keep you posted.
Fuzzy’s Taco Shop
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Fayetteville lost a shop recently.
Fort Worth, Texas-based chain Fuzzy’s Taco Shop closed their location at 32 W. Joyce Blvd. (in the building formerly home to Buffalo Wild Wings) recently.
According to Renee Cossman, a PR agent for Fuzzy’s, the Fayetteville restaurant is permanently closed.
The restaurant chain opened the Fayetteville location in 2017. They specialized in “Baja-style” tacos, and operate around 150 locations in 16 states.
Torchy’s Tacos
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Torchy’s Tacos will soon open a location in Fayetteville.
The Austin-based chain recently received state health department approval for a new restaurant on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard next to Andy’s Frozen Custard.
An update to the Torchy’s website included Fayetteville as an upcoming location at 1561 W. MLK Jr. Blvd, and construction on the building has already begin.
Launched from a food truck in Austin in 2006, Torchy’s Tacos has grown to include over 60 locations across Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado. Their menu features 15 unique lunch and dinner menu tacos, 11 breakfast menu tacos, and a variety of sides. Business Insider last month named Torchy’s the best chain in America.
The company is known for giving back to the communities where it does business. Each month a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each Taco of the Month are donated to charitable partners. The January Taco of the Month is “Trailer Park Hillbilly Style,” which includes hand-battered fried chicken, chorizo, chopped bacon, green chiles, green chile queso, freshly grated cheddar jack cheese and pico de gallo with poblano sauce on a flour tortilla. Charitable partners for January include Make-A-Wish, MD Anderson, and Phoenix House.
No timetable for opening the restaurant has been announced yet.
Mess Hall 45
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The sandwich wizard behind one of the most popular restaurants in west Fayetteville is preparing to open a new concept on the east side of town.
Nathan Jendeski, founder of the popular Green Submarine sandwich restaurant on Wedington Drive, is working on a new restaurant called Mess Hall 45 at 1830 N Crossover Rd.
The new restaurant will have a casual feel similar to what Jendeski has created with Green Submarine, and will focus on “all things sandwich,” including submarine sandwiches, speciality burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads and wraps.
“I’m trying to walk a line,” he told us in an interview late last week. “It’s a community in that shopping center, so I’m not trying to compete with East Side Grill. I’m trying to go in there and serve a great lunch at a reasonable price, and offer another option on that side of town where pickings are a little slim.”
The name of the restaurant, he told us, is a nod to the military, service members, and first responders that Jendeski said he has always admired. His grandfather, father, mother, brother, and uncle all served, he told us, and he plans to offer a substantial discount to those individuals.
Otherwise, he said, the restaurant will operate on the same philosophy that has guided him with the Green Submarine over the years.
“Buy good stuff, sell it when it’s fresh, don’t mess it up,” Jendeski said.
If all goes well, the new restaurant will be open sometime in May or early June.
Thai Spice
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A new Thai restaurant is coming to the West Fayetteville area.
The new place will be called Thai Spice, and will be located at 1189 N Steamboat Drive, in the space formerly home to Boars Nest Barbecue.
According to the menu on their website, the restaurant will serve curry dishes, rice dishes, noodle dishes, and more.
They haven’t announced an opening date just yet. We’ll keep you posted.
Salai Thai
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Another local Thai restaurant will be relocating soon.
According to signs that appeared recently, Salai Thai will relocate from their current location on School Avenue to a new space on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, in the shopping center located across from Fayetteville High School.
Ohana Poke
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It’s been a while since we’ve had Hawaiian food in Fayetteville (RIP Hawaiian Brian’s), but that will be changing soon.
According to signs that appeared recently, a new restaurant called Ohana Poke Hawaiian Cuisine is planning to open in the shopping center across from Fayetteville High School.
The new place will be located at 1135 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
We’re looking for more information about this one, and we’ll keep you posted as we learn more.
Wing Stop
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It looks like Wingstop is coming back to town.
According to an application filed with Arkansas Department of Health, the Texas-based chain is planning to open a restaurant at 1237 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., next to Pho Quyen.
It won’t be the first Wing Stop location in Fayetteville. The chain once operated at 2630 E. Citizens Dr., but that restaurant closed about 6-7 years ago.
Wing Stop was founded in 1994, and is and headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It is a publicly traded company (NASDAQ:WING) that operates more than 1,200 restaurants across the United States, and in nine other countries around the world.
As their name suggests, they specialize in chicken wings.
We reached out to the company for more information about an opening date, and we’ll provide an update if we hear back from them.
Chicken Salad Chick
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A few months ago, we received a tip that some locals were working to bring a Chicken Salad Chick restaurant to Fayetteville.
We recently found confirmation of that report.
According to a banner recently placed outside the building, the Alabama-based chain will soon open at 368 E. Joyce Blvd., in a portion of the space formerly home to Dress Barn (next to T.J. Maxx).
Chicken Salad Chick was established in 2008 by founder Stacy Brown, who began selling her chicken salad recipes out of her home kitchen in Auburn, Alabama. Since then, the restaurant chain has grown to more than 80 restaurants across the southeast United States. The Fayetteville location will be just the second location in the Arkansas. The first company first opened in Jonesboro late last year.
As the name suggests, the menu focuses on a handful of varieties of chicken salad, from savory to fruity, nutty, or spicy recipes.
A timeline for opening the restaurant hasn’t yet been announced, but we’ll keep you posted.
Juice Palm / Quesadilla Shop
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A new juice bar and smoothie restaurant is coming to Dickson Street.
We’re told that Juice Palm, the new restaurant by Con Quesos owner Omar Kasim, is planning to open a location in the former Blackboard Grocery location at 644 W. Dickson Street.
Renovations of the space are expected to begin soon, and Kasim said he hopes to be open sometime in May.
Kasim also added he is planning to open a late night quesadilla shop toward the back of the space that will be accessible from the UARK Bowl corridor. The quesadilla shop will be open 8 p.m.-3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday and will feature specialty quesadillas and signature crema dips.
First Watch
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Construction is underway on the new First Watch location on College Avenue.
The restaurant is a “daytime cafe” chain that specializes in breakfast and lunch, and plans to open a location at 3251 N. College Ave., in the building formerly home to Zaxby’s.
First Watch is a Florida-based company that operates over 200 locations around the country. According to their website, National and Battlefield Investments, led by James Tillman and Joseph Hulston, have committed to open at least five First Watch restaurants in Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas. The first of those locations – in Springfield, Missouri – opened last fall.
From the looks of the menu, the restaurant will serve traditional breakfast fare, along with some healthy-looking options like superfood bowls, granola bowls, some sandwiches, and salads. The restaurants are typically open daily from around 7 a.m. until 2 p.m.
We’re told the restaurant is hoping to be up and running sometime this summer.
Natural State Sandwiches
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Natural State Sandwiches will soon return to their original location at the Yacht Club on College Avenue (617 N. College Ave) in Fayetteville.
The restaurant opened their initially a few years ago, before moving to Springdale to give it a go as a brick and mortar for the last couple years.
For those who aren’t familiar, Natural State Sandwiches is known for their rotating menu of sliders and over-the-top, Pittsburgh-style all-in-one sandwiches (meaning everything – the meat, the cheese, the fries, etc. is in between the buns). The photo above tells the story better than we ever could.
The restaurant will be set up at the mobile business park beginning in May, and plan to be there at least through the month of June.
