Alligator Ray?s No Crock

Steve Woodard of Clarksville plans to lease 4,100 SF of Fayetteville’s historic Laundry Building with his new restaurant concept — Alligator Ray’s Oyster Bar.

Woodard said he’ll sign the lease after his lawyer approves it. Alligator Ray’s will move into the space that was home to Faybles bookshop as well as the part that now houses Metropolis, a hair salon. Metropolis plans to move by the end of January to another building in Fayetteville, so Woodard is shooting for an opening date of Feb. 1. The restaurant/bar will seat about 150 people and will include a couple of pool tables, Woodard said.

Woodard already owns two Cajun restaurants called Fat Tuesday’s, one in Little Rock and one in Altus. He said the menu at Alligator Ray’s will be similar to that of Fat Tuesday’s except Alligator Ray’s won’t serve steaks or fish entrees. But the new restaurant will serve “hot legs,” which Woodard describes as frog legs prepared like hot wings. Steve Daney, who served as chef to former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial, will be the chef at Alligator Ray’s.

If the prototype store in Fayetteville is a hit, Woodard said he plans to open three more Alligator Ray’s in 2003.