Dubbed the “Industry of Opportunity” by the National Restaurant Association, American restaurants are the second largest private-sector employer in the country and provide some of the highest job satisfaction rates of any industry. In fact, 9 out of 10 industry workers believe restaurants provide opportunity for those who want to succeed based on their hard work. Plenty of Arkansans are taking advantage of this unrivaled opportunity to both serve our community delicious food and build their own success. Here are three of our favorites:
Bruno’s Little Italy
When you want authentic made-to-order Italian food in Little Rock, you go to Bruno’s – and that’s been the case since the Bruno family opened their first restaurant in 1949. Though the restaurant location has changed through the years, Bruno’s is now located in Little Rock’s Creative Corridor, taking advantage of the ample number of customer’s who flock to the area for business, entertainment and tourism. The Bruno family also just opened their new Bruno’s Deli next door to the sit down restaurant. The deli offers quick lunch fare that still upholds Bruno’s delicious, authentic Italian standards, as well as a few Italian grocery items.
Café Bossa Nova
You may be hard-pressed to find authentic Brazilian cuisine in central Arkansas, but with Cafe Bossa Nova, this one Brazilian spot is all you need. Dan and Rosalia Monroe use only the freshest ingredients to create delicious, South American comfort food, similar to the homestyle cooking you might find if you visited the country yourself. Like Bruno’s, Café Bossa Nova has also taken advantage of the opportunity the restaurant industry provides not only by opening their original restaurant, but also through their Brazilain bakery next door, Rosalia’s Family Bakery.
Uncle T’s Deli-Market
The Woods family has a long history of building a family legacy in the food industry. More than 30 years ago, the family’s business began when their Uncle Tillman Green decided to open a grocery store in Sunset, Arkansas. The business then moved to Little Rock, where it is located today at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. and Daisy Gatson Bates. Here, patrons can pick up grocery items, purchase delicious charcuterie trays and enjoy Uncle T’s famous sandwiches. Like the above two establishments, Uncle T’s Deli-Market has also continued to find plenty of business opportunity in the restaurant industry, and will be opening a second location in Conway across from the UCA campus this October.
