It’s been an eventful last few weeks in the restaurant world. That means it’s high time for some restaurant news!

If you pay close attention to the Flyer, you may have read about several of these already, but we did find a few new items as well.

Here’s what we know about restaurants that have opened, closed, or plan to open soon in Fayetteville.

King Burrito

Staff photo

According to a new banner that popped up recently, a new King Burrito location is coming soon to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Renovation work is in process on the building, located at 3120 Martin Luther King Junior Blvd., the space formerly home to Lucy’s Diner.

King Burrito, as the name might suggest, is known locally for their giant burritos. The restaurant chain owns locations in Rogers and Bentonville, and once operated a location on College Avenue before changing the name of that location to El Taco Loco. The menu at that location, however, has remained the same as the one King Burrito was serving.

They also have a Springdale location in the works that is set to open any day now, according to posts on the company Facebook page.

No timetable for opening the new Fayetteville location has been announced yet. We’ll keep you posted.

Hog Haus

Staff photo

After 14 years, Hog Haus Brewing Company, the restaurant and brew pub located at 430 W. Dickson Street, will close for good at the end of October.

The future of the restaurant had been in question recently, as the 13,000-square-foot building, built in 1910, was listed for $3.5 million on the local MLS over the summer.

Owner Julie Sill said that the building has sold, and she plans to sell her furniture and fixtures to the new owner.

That, along with other factors led her to the decision to close the restaurant.

“I’ve been struggling with my health for a while,” she said. “I haven’t been able to work like I used to, and like I need to, and I think that has shown in a lot of things.”

Sill said she does not know who the new owner is at this time, but said she believes it is a local NWA resident.

Those who want to get a final Hog Haus fix will have an opportunity to do so through the end of the month. The restaurant will be open Wednesday through Sunday through the end of Oct. 28.

Insomnia Cookies

Staff photo

A cookie shop with 100 locations across the U.S. plans to soon expand into Fayetteville.

New York-based Insomnia Cookies recently announced its plans for the new location on Facebook, and according to an application filed with the Arkansas Department of Health, the shop will be located at 609 W. Dickson Street, Suite 202 inside a space on the ground floor of The Dickson.

The address and suite number referenced in the application is currently home to Waffle House.

Rumors have been circulating last week on social media that Waffle House employees have been told that the restaurant could soon be closing. A manager on Friday would not confirm those rumors.

Waffle House PR Director Pat Warner did not immediately respond when messaged on Friday.

Kate Hynson, a spokesperson for Insomnia Cookies who identified herself as the marketing manager for the Fayetteville location, said via email in September she wasn’t yet ready to comment on the specifics of the address. A second message was sent to Hynson Friday morning, but wasn’t immediately returned.

The Fayetteville store would be Insomnia’s first location in Arkansas.

Insomnia Cookies was founded by then-University of Pennsylvania college student Seth Berkowitz in 2003, according to the company’s website. Berkowitz ran the company from his dorm room, before eventually opening his first brick-and-mortar location in Syracuse, New York in 2006. Since then, the company expanded rapidly, reaching 50 stores by 2014. Insomnia celebrated the opening of its 100th location in 2016.

The menu focuses on cookies sold individually, in packs, as cookie sandwiches, and in the form of cookie cakes for special occasions. Most locations are open late, and offer delivery.

We aren’t sure of the timeline for opening the Fayetteville location, but we’ll update this story once we learn more.

Applebee’s

Staff photo

The Applebee’s location in north Fayetteville closed for good recently.

According to a note posted on the door of the establishment, the restaurant closed permanently on Oct. 1. Exterior signage on the restaurant has already been removed.

The restaurant was located at 4078 N. College Ave.

A Business Insider story from earlier this year indicated that the restaurant chain closed 99 locations nationally in 2017, and are in the process of closing an additional 60-80 locations this year. The article blamed the chain’s failure to connect with younger diners for their slumping sales.

The Springdale restaurant, located at 3953 W Sunset Ave., remains open.

Funk Town BBQ

Staff photo

Remember Parlor Dogs? The hot dog cart that took the Fayetteville square by storm by in 2010 (well, it was big news to us).

Well, owner Dana Cash is back in the mobile food business with a new barbecue truck located in the Yacht Club on College.

The business is called Funktown BBQ, and they specialize in pulled pork, smoked chicken, smoked sausage and pit beef served out of a tie-dye painted old bus.

According to their Facebook page, they are open Tuesday from 11-2 p.m., Wednesday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., and Thursday-Saturday from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Good Dog Cafe

Courtesy graphic

Local residents Micah and Tryphina Szabo recently purchased property just east of Rolling Pin Cafe in southeast Fayetteville, and plan to open a new dog-friendly cafe/park/coffee shop called Good Dog Cafe.

The new restaurant will serve breakfast and lunch, and good pups can hang out with their human friends inside or on the patio for free. The business will also offer access to an outdoor dog park and play area on a yearly subscription basis, or for a few bucks per day as a single-day pass.

Micah said the restaurant will serve locally-roasted coffee and breakfast sandwiches in the morning, and will offer a rotating menu featuring home-cooked items and a few sandwiches for lunch.

Renovations on the building and back yard area are currently underway, and Micah told the Flyer he hopes to open sometime this fall.

Sauced

Staff photo

A new barbecue joint is set to open on Dickson Street this week.

The folks behind Grotto and Upstairs restaurants in Eureka Springs are set to open a new “chef-inspired” barbecue restaurant called ‘Sauced’ in the space formerly home to Flying Burrito Company at 540 W. Dickson St., across from George’s Majestic Lounge.

The restaurant will focus on classic barbecue dishes like pulled pork, ribs, and brisket with handmade sauces, and other dishes. They’ll also offer the wings they become somewhat known from Grotto in Eureka Springs, and a sandwich they call the “fatty,” with hand lattice bacon, two types of sausage, with cheese, and then smoked.

“It will be everything you love about your hometown smoked meats with all the big flavor only a chef can bring,” co-owner Autumn Slane told us about the new restaurant back in August.

Renovations are now complete, and according to a Facebook post from this week, the restaurant will officiall open on Wednesday, Oct. 17.

Big Sexy Food

Staff photo

A new Big Sexy Food truck is now open in the Mill District.

The truck, which specializes in burgers, sandwiches, and a few salads, is located outside the new Prairie Street Bar & Tap, located at 495 W. Prairie Avenue in Fayetteville.

Diners will have access to indoor seating at the pub when it is open, and there is some patio seating out there as well.

According to their Facebook page, they are open Monday-Thursday from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m.

Deluxe Burger

Staff photo

The last Deluxe Burger of its kind is now closed.

The restaurant located next to Whole Foods at 3391 N. College Ave. recently closed its doors for good, according to a note posted on the door of the business.

From the note:

To our guests: Deluxe has closed for business. We are honored to have served you, our amazing customers, for the last couple of years…but our run here has come to an end. We sincerely appreciate the continued support you gave us. Thank you.

The restaurant chain was created by East Side Grill and Theo’s owner Scott Bowman, who opened his first Deluxe Burger on Dickson Street in 2013. The restaurant expanded to open at least two more locations, one in Rogers, along with the recently-closed location on College Avenue. The Rogers location closed in 2016, and the Dickson Street location closed in late 2017.

As the name suggests, the restaurant specialized in burgers, sandwiches, fries, shakes, and other items.