Store to Fridge

April 2, 2021

Restaurant News

McClard's BBQ Travels Up the Pig Trail

McClards BBQ NWA

McClard's BBQ is traveling up the Pig Trail to establish roots in NWA, with intentions of opening up a second restaurant inside the former Pinnacle Bar & Grill space at 5001 W. Pauline Whitaker Parkway.

  • The iconic Hot Springs restaurant was established in 1928 and is known for for its Delta-style tamales and house-smoked barbecue. For years, the barbecue joint has been recognized across the state and country, making it a must-see (and taste) destination for foodies.

  • The Rogers restaurant will be decked out with a full bar and will also provide catering. The facility is able to house 127 patrons inside, with room for an additional 300 guests on a covered patio, which is designed for live music.

Don't fret: McClard's in Rogers will feature the traditional Hot Springs menu, along with new salad options and smoked chicken seven days a week. Talk Business & Politics

Entertainment

NWA Concerts Begin to Turn Up the Volume

NWA Daily

If there's one thing we missed last year - it was live music. While we're not out of the woods just yet, rumor has it that concerts are making a cautious return to NWA. At the beginning of the pandemic, George’s Majestic Lounge closed for 140 days. Then, slowly, outdoor venues opened up and larger crowds began to fill seats.

  • “2021 is not back to normal... Everything we’re doing is outdoor, and small capacity. That’s smaller than most shows we would do. It’s measurable momentum if we’re going from zero to… something," said Bryan Hembree, co-founder of the Fayetteville Roots Festival.

  • How will they do it? Venues are likely to adopt new changes. At George’s, that might mean an artist will perform two nights at half capacity. For example, the Del McCoury Band will be headlining two consecutive nights instead of one larger show for Roots Festival.

  • “Everybody is trying to move forward, but they are moving at a pace that’s appropriate for their city, county and state,” said local music producer Brian Crowne. -Fayetteville Flyer

For a full list of 2021 concert lineups for the Roots Festival, Walmart AMP, and George's Majestic Lounge, visit HERE.

Politics

Bentonville Bond Special Election

NWA Daily

On Feb. 9, 2021, The Bentonville, Arkansas City Council asked voters to consider a bond extension that will allow infrastructure, public safety, and efficiency improvements without a tax increase - utilizing the extension of a city 1% sales tax.

  • What's at stake? There are nine ballet questions that include approving bond extensions and improving city provided resources such as: parks and recreation offerings, transportation, city police, city fire, and the public library.

  • As Bentonville grows, resources and infrastructure will be in high demand - this is something the City of Bentonville should be invested in now, said Mayor Orman.

  • A special election to be held on April 13 will ask residents to approve approximately $266 million in bonds by extending a 1% city sales tax. You can see what the Bentonville Mayor has to say about the Bond Package HERE

Want to know more? You can read see the full details of the proposed bond package HERE.

Business

Walmart's InHome At Home in NWA

NWA Daily

Time to kick your feet up and let your groceries come to you, NWA! Walmart has announced that its InHome delivery program is coming to NWA, beginning April 7. Customers in the area will be able to sign up for the service and have their groceries delivered directly to their kitchen or garage refrigerators.

  • NWA will be one of four locations where InHome is available. The service has been available since 2019 in Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Vero Beach - serving more than one million customers during that time.

  • You'll be able to order groceries, household essentials (even prescriptions!), and those last-minute items through the “Pickup and Delivery” section of the Walmart app.

For more information on how to get started, click HERE.

Development

2 Years Later

NWA Daily

Exactly two years ago today, Governor Asa Hutchinson and Bentonville Mayor Stephanie Orman announced that New York-based WeWork had its sights set on building a 200,000 square-foot facility for use as a rentable workspace in Bentonville. I think we all know what happened with WeWork six months later...

  • Bumps in the road: In September 2019, there was speculation that the company was overvalued by a whopping $37 billion ($47B vs $10B). Shortly after, co-founder Adam Neumann resigned and gave up some of his voting power. The company planned to go public, then it didn't. By the end of September, it withdrew its initial public offering. -KNWA/Fox24
  • By November 2020, WeWork was no longer involved in Bentonville project for obvious reasons and the "Ledger Bentonville" was born. The 230,000 sf building will now be operated and managed locally and expected to open in 2022.
  • "In streamlining our portfolio towards profitable growth, we have reached a mutual agreement with our Center City partners for the project to move forward without WeWork’s involvement. We remain committed to Bentonville through the launch of WeWork Labs in the historic Massey Building downtown and look forward to seeing the Ledger succeed," WeWork said in a statement.
  • What is WeLabs?: Even though WeWork is officially out on the Ledger project, you may see or hear about WeLabs - WeWork's global digital platform. You can learn more here.

More information about the Ledger can be found HERE

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