Lemonade House Grille

Chad Campbell worked for a railroad company for more than 20 years, and his wife, Monica, worked in the public school system. The couple wanted to work together and possibly involve their children.

They had rental properties and thought about expanding that portfolio, but then a new idea started to gain traction – how about opening a restaurant?

Neither had any experience in that sector, but they ate at a Lemonade House Grille (LHG) in Poplar Bluff, Mo. The restaurant was a small franchise, and local owners had a lot of autonomy on how to decorate the interior and menu construction. Campbell said they found a building in downtown Jonesboro and decided to take the plunge in November of 2023.

“We wanted to open a place where you could get together and hang out. Our motto is ‘Good friends, good food and good times,’” he said.

The restaurant serves a variety of foods including flatbread choices, urban tacos, gourmet salads, wraps, grinders, handcrafted burgers, among others. It also has a large selection of different lemonades to choose from.

One of the reasons they liked LHG was they got to design their own menu for the most part, Cambell said. Originally, the couple thought about building a new restaurant near Academy Sports, but when a building became available downtown, they jumped at the opportunity. Campbell, who is a licensed contractor, did most of the interior work, while his wife did the interior design. Their daughter, Grace, created the artwork.

“They both are very creative,” Campbell said.

Their son, Will, helped them develop their technology systems. Their other son, Eli, and daughter-in-law, Ellie, work at LHG. Even their 11-year-old daughter, Evan, pitches in.

“She’ll bus tables for us,” Campbell said with a laugh.

One of the toughest challenges before they opened was acquiring a liquor license. Craighead County is a dry county and it’s difficult to get the license, he said.

The business employs up to 50 workers at any given time, he said. Many are Arkansas State University students. Staffing is always an issue for restaurants, and Campbell said developing the right culture with employees has been a challenge.

“Owning a restaurant was not on our radar. We took a leap of faith,” he said. “We wanted to open up a place where people could have fellowship and enjoy each other’s company. I think we are doing that.”

Editor’s note: This company is a finalist for the Northeast Arkansas Outstanding Business Awards — Startup Business category. Winners will be announced at a luncheon on April 15. Contact Rob Gutterridge at rgutterridge@nwabj.com for tickets.