Gaskins on Emma, Daily Beet among new restaurants planned in Northwest Arkansas

Growth in Northwest Arkansas continues to draw interest from retail and restaurant companies. More than 10 retailers and restaurants sought permits in the first two months of this year, and several more added permits in March.

Florida-based department store chain Bealls had staked out its first store location in Rogers at 208 S. Promenade in the Scottsdale Center. The store will be in the space formerly occupied by Tuesday Morning, the discount retailer that closed last year amid bankruptcy. Officials at Bealls said the store will open on May 17. Bealls acquired Stage Stores in 2021 and converted the Stage store in Siloam Springs to the Bealls format, so the Rogers location will be the retailer’s second in the region.

Waldo’s Chicken & Beer, an Arkansas-based chain, opened Tuesday (March 26) in Bentonville. Two more eateries plan to open in Bentonville later this year. Chicken Salad Chick has staked out a new location at 500 S.E. Walton Blvd., in the space formerly occupied by Smash Burger, which closed last year. Chicken Salad Chick also operates in Fayetteville with a location near the Northwest Arkansas Mall at 352 E. Joyce Ave. The company operates more than 250 U.S. locations, and company officials said the Bentonville location will open by the third quarter of this year.

Isabella Italian will open another restaurant at 1400 S.E. Walton, Suite 46 in Bentonville. The eatery will be in the space formerly occupied by Whole Hog Cafe, which closed last year. Isabella Italian is run by Chef Todd and Nikki Golden, who also manage the restaurant in Fayetteville. The restaurant is expected to open by this fall.

Downtown Springdale is getting a new fine dining establishment owned by Lisa Provencio-Jones and Bert Jones, the long-time owners of Gaskins Cabin Steakhouse in Eureka Springs. The restaurant is on Emma Avenue inside the First Security Bank building. Gaskins on Emma will feature prime rib and steak and is slated to open in April.

In downtown Fayetteville, New Orleans-based Daily Beet plans to open a new eatery that caters to vegetarian diets. The restaurant will be located in the Ice House Building at 399 N. West Ave., just off Dickson Street. The restaurant will focus on fast casual food, much of which comes from farms in the area. Daily Beet is expected to open in April.

Fayetteville also welcomed a new sushi eatery this month. Rock N Roll Sushi opened its newest location at 1777 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. this week. The restaurant occupies the space that was home to Pieology before closing. The Fayetteville location is the sixth for the national chain in Arkansas and the first one outside of central Arkansas. The local franchise is one of 70 for the Alabama-based chain.