New Alma steak restaurant cooks up jobs

story by Marla Cantrell
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For three years the residents of Alma have been watching while a building, made of old wood and new metal, inched its way toward completion.

Some thought it was going to be a feed store, a few thought a gift shop was in the works, and some guessed correctly: the painstakingly slow process was leading to the town’s only steakhouse.

The owner of The Steak Hall, Tina Hall, who has a lease-to-buy contract, said the original owner lost interest in the venture before construction ended.

“When my husband and I stepped in, it was mostly complete, but there was no kitchen, no tables and chairs, and the floors hadn’t been finished,” she explained.

The western-style building sits two blocks south of the intersection of Arkansas 64 and U.S. 71. Harp’s is in front of the restaurant, the Wal-Mart Supercenter is two blocks away, and the downtown area is less than two minutes away.

The new diner, which opened three weeks ago, is the 20th restaurant to open in the town of 5,000. There are some good independent diners in Alma, but mostly the food comes from chains.  McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, and Cracker Barrel line the corridor just off the Interstate 40 exit.

Hall, a nutritionist, felt confident the business would succeed, despite hard economic times.

“The potential is huge in this area,” Hall said. “Everybody was ready for something to be new in Alma. … We have 30 employees, 10 are full-time, and that’s helped the economy.”

Hall isn’t sure how much money she’s put into the business so far.

“There were a lot of things involved,” Hall said. “Part of the down payment had to finish the building out. It’s just very complicated.”

However, she is certain about the restaurant’s earnings.

“We made $15,000 the first week,” MacPeek explained. “Last week, we took in $14,000. The response — and we haven’t advertised, except on Facebook — has been overwhelming.”

Gabe MacPeek, head chef, spent years learning steak at Western Sizzlin’ in Van Buren.

“I was managing there for three years,” MacPeek said. “I’ve been in restaurants since high school. I wanted to have my name behind something, instead of working for corporate. … It’s been a draining experience, but very gratifying. I had my first night off last night and it ran well without me. I think that says a lot about the staff.”

The 4,000-square-foot building has two banquet rooms, and already Hall’s gotten two bookings for Christmas parties. Business is steady, and on nights when the Alma Airedales play at home, it gets a little crazy.

“It can be overwhelming,” Hall said. “But we’re getting used to it. We did a lot of research before we opened. Our food is better than normal. The service is great. Our prices are low. We wanted families to be able to come out for a good meal. We know what that struggle is like.”

The most popular items on the menu are the chicken fried steak and the prime rib. Customers have asked for recipes for some of the appetizers, but Hall isn’t talking.

“It’s nice to be asked, but we’re keeping all that to ourselves.”