February 2, 2009 ARKANSAS BUSINESS 19 Of the on the list that Highest-Grossing Fayetteville Restaurants Highest-Grossing Bentonville Restaurants are full-service, which includes table service, 12 saw declining revenue in (2 percent food tax) (1 percent food tax) 2008 while only four full-service res- Revenue for 12 months ended November 2008 Revenue for 12 months ended November 2008 taurants felt an upswing. 1 Olive Garden $3,675,582 1 Eurest Dining (Wal-Mart cafeteria) $4,574,136 The opposite is true in North Little 2 Red Lobster $3,635,157 2 McDonald’s #5430 (South Walton Boulevard) $2,395,600 Rock. 3 Golden Corral $3,618,138 3 McDonald’s #22041 (Southeast 14th Street) $2,109,400 Of the full-service restaurants on 4 Chartwell’s Dining Compass Group USA, Inc. $3,297,815 4 McDonald’s #32295 (Peach Orchard) $1,946,700 the North Little Rock list, 12 stores 5 Chick-Fil-A (College Avenue) $3,232,613 5 Sam’s Club $1,840,770 experienced revenue growth in 2008 6 Shogun Japanese Steak & $2,934,900 6 Lin’s Garden Chinese $1,777,300 while four declined. 7 Penguin Ed’s Barbeque $2,900,020 7 Chick-Fil-A $1,613,884 restaurants on the list and 8 Clarion Inn $2,706,300 8 Wal-Mart Supercenter Deli $1,680,757 their higher-quality counterparts, the 9 Logan’s Roadhouse Restaurant $2,685,137 9 Shogun Steakhouse of $1,588,100 “fast casual” restaurants, which don’t 10 McDonald’s (Joyce Boulevard) $2,683,300 10 Sonic Drive-In (Southeast 14th Street) $1,556,000 include table service, told a different story. Source: Fayetteville Advertising & Promotion Commission Source: Bentonville Advertising & Promotion Commission Of the fast food and fast casual restaurants in Little Rock, sales at 11 stores grew in 2008 while sales at the Highest-Grossing Hot Springs Restaurants Highest-Grossing Conway Restaurants other three declined. For the same year, nine of the fast (3 percent food tax) (2 percent food tax) food and fast casual restaurants on the 2008 Revenue Revenue for the 12 months ended November 2008 North Little Rock list grew, while five 1 Red Lobster* $3,091,438 1 Chili’s Bar & Grill (Oak Street) $4,307,455 stores watched revenue fall. 2 Olive Garden* $2,991,468 2 McDonalds (Salem Road) $3,452,371 3 Steakhouse $2,905,512 3 Cracker Barrel $3,359,047 “It could be that 4 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store $2,896,977 4 Chick-Fil-A (Oak Street) $3,301,452 5 McDonald’s (East Grand Avenue) $2,625,986 5 Marketplace Grill $3,298,770 people that were 6 Southwestern Catering $2,616,467 6 Outback Steakhouse $2,857,108 7 Ryan’s Family Restaurant $2,577,867 7 Mike’s Place $2,781,871 coming to Little 8 Chili’s $2,212,310 8 McDonald’s (Oak Street) $2,684,601 9 Arlington Restaurant $2,204,615 9 McDonald’s (Hwy 65 North) $2,481,956 Rock are staying 10 Colton’s Steak House $2,105,485 10 Colton’s Steak House & Grill $2,402,396

home and eating in Source: Hot Springs Advertising & Promotion Commission Source: www.pulseofconway.com and Conway Advertising & Promotion Commission North Little Rock.” *Red Lobster and Olive Garden are behind on two payments because of a mailing — Montine McNulty, address misunderstanding. Highest-Grossing Upscale Restaurants executive director of the Arkansas Hospitality Association In Pulaski County Highest-Grossing Coffee Shops 2008 2007 % Change “It could be that people that were 1 Sonny Williams Steak Room $1,698,348 $1,961,894 -13.4% coming to Little Rock are staying home In Pulaski County 2 Trio’s Restaurant & Catering $1,600,489 $1,694,711 -5.6% and eating in North Little Rock,” 2008 2007 % Change 3 Brave New Restaurant $1,345,841 $1,464,755 -8.1% McNulty of the AHA said. 1 (JFK) $841,627* $893,414 -5.80% 4 Capers $1,161,364 $1,292,378 -10.1% Overall, much of consumer behav- 2 Starbucks (Broadway) $793,754 $492,537** 61.20% 5 Restaurant 1620 $909,139* $1,104,014 -17.7% ior during 2008 centered on cost 3 Starbucks (Cantrell and Sam Peck) $762,863 $780,078 -2.20% 6 Ferneau $873,203 $844,420 3.4% control, McNulty said. Whether it’s 4 Starbucks (Cantrell and Mississippi) $731,503 $822,112 -11.00% 7 Copper Grill & Grocery $777,337 $480,100** 61.9% seen in McDonald’s capital per- 5 Starbucks (Financial Center Parkway) $606,959 $694,659 -12.60% 8 Mike Selig’s Vermillion $688,067 $784,978 -12.3% formance, a fledgling Chick-fil-A’s 6 Starbucks (Rodney Parham) $581,182 $560,793 3.60% 9 Ristorante Capeo $506,167 566,900 -10.7% sprint to the third-highest grossing 7 Starbucks (University Avenue) $498,656 $535,024 -6.80% 10 Acadia Restaurants $335,749 $355,973 -5.7% restaurant in Little Rock or the 8 Starbucks (Kavanaugh) $420,020 $432,545 -2.90% 11 Ciao Baci $317,147 $348,655 -9.0% resurgence of Franke’s Cafeteria, 9 Starbucks (East McCain) $401,444* $379,660 5.70% 12 Aydelotte’s $306,533 $597,133 -48.7% consumers are spending more fru- 10 Andina Café $112,309 $121,207 -7.30% 13 Gypsy’s Bar & Grill $294,015 $341,504 -13.9% gally. *12 months ended November 2008 *12 months ended November 2008 With those restaurants, consumers **April - December ** July - December “can control their costs,” McNulty said. “And I think, again, in this kind of an economy that’s probably a very attractive choice for customers.” Of the 13 “upscale” restaurants in Little Rock and North Little Rock that Arkansas Business tracked, only one that had been open for two full years — Ferneau in Little Rock — showed an increase in revenue. (See table.) Pirnique Michael Copper Grill & Grocery in down- town Little Rock opened in July 2007, so it was open twice as many months in 2008 but reported only 62 percent more revenue. Two of the upscale restaurants Copper Grill & Grocery in downtown have closed since the end of 2008: Pirnique Michael Little Rock, one of 13 “upscale” restau- Aydelotte’s in North Little Rock, rants tracked by Arkansas Business, opened which has converted to a U.S. in July 2007, meaning it was open twice as Co., and Gypsy’s Bar & Grill in Little many months in 2008. However, it report- Rock. n ed only 62 percent more revenue.