On an uncommonly pleasant August afternoon, two workers labored to perfect the stain on a handsome wood bar facing the entrance of Bruno’s Little Italy, while others painted a few yards away. Gio Bruno excitedly noted that a metal railing separating the restaurant from the pavement on Main Street had been erected in the few hours since he had last visited the site the day before. His brother Vince toured what will be the kitchen as Gio pointed to the locations for the steam table, dishwashing station, refrigerator. In about six weeks — the earliest that they can open the restaurant is Sept. 17, Gio says — Bruno’s will again operate under the ownership and authority of the family that founded it in 1948 (or thereabouts; signs and collective memories vary). This iteration of the beloved restaurant, on the ground floor of the Mann Lofts at 310 Main, will help anchor the redevelopment taking place along Main Street in downtown Little Rock. The Mann Lofts occupy a 30,000-SF annex to the building that once housed Blass Department Store. That 112,000-SF building, at 322 Main, is being transformed into Mann on Main, a $22 million joint venture by Moses Tucker Real Estate and the Doyle Rogers Co. The Brunos’ investment in the new restaurant includes $280,000 in build-out costs, a $225,000 equipment loan from Arkansas Capital Corp. and the rollover of Gio’s $100,000 401(k). Gio has retired from his communications and design job at Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield. Click here to read the full article from Arkansas Business: Bruno’s Revival On Main Street To Mix Old, New
Bruno’s Revival On Main Street To Mix Old, New
