By Haley Smith
Staff Writer
In nearly two months, El Dorado’s newest restaurant will be preparing to open to the public.
Zach Jackson, who will be the manager of the new Griffin Restaurant in the Murphy Arts District, spoke at the El Dorado Civitan meeting on Thursday.
Jackson discussed several aspects of the new restaurant including its dedication to customer service, farm-to-table menu, farmers market in the district and new farm-to-school program.
He emphasized his wish for the restaurant to have a friendly and lively atmosphere that will match the fun-loving nature of the events that will be held in the district.
Jackson’s goal is to establish high service standards in his staff that will meet and exceed their customer’s expectations.
The district plans to accomplish this by using a highly intensive training program for employees that will include all aspects of customer service.
Excluding seafood, all food served at the restaurant will be Arkansas grown from farms within a 150-mile radius of the city.
“It is a way for us to give back to the people,” Jackson said. “We will have an Arkansas shaped board with pins to indicate the farm’s location in the state.”
Seafood will be flown in once a week from the coast to ensure freshness. The district also will have a daily farmer’s market, which also gives the restaurant an opportunity to sample any new food or local produce that can be incorporated into the menu.
“How cool would it be to tell your friends that they can go to the Griffin Restaurant to try your product?” Jackson said.
The district also has donated 10 acres to the El Dorado School District to promote farming in the high school. The area, called “Maggie’s Farm,” will be a program to connect food production with school lunches and the farmer’s market.
The goal is to improve students’ knowledge and approach toward agriculture and encourage healthier consumption of fruits and vegetables.
“We want to teach our students from a young age how important it is to eat fresh food and the importance of a farm to table lifestyle,” Jackson said.
South Arkansas Community College also has started a training program to help develop culinary skills and has plans to expand into other service-industry related fields, he said.
The Griffin Restaurant will share a building with the Griffin Music Hall inside of the Old Griffin Auto Company building and will hold 200 people at max capacity. The menu will change seasonally and food will range in price from $7 to $35.
Haley Smith can be contacted at 870-862-6611 or at [email protected]. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter at @hsmithEDNT.