COVID-19 unfortunately crossed the hot food buffet off the menus of several local eateries, and off it has stayed. But there’s good news for those yearning for the return of graze dining, because Cattleman’s Family Restaurant in Green Forest has rustled up a new take on the old feedbag.
Banish the thought of steam table food that’s been sitting out and picked over long before you show up. Instead, this all-you-can-eat feast is prepared fresh to your order!
It works like this: five to six items are culled from the restaurant’s five-page menu and offered on the buffet, usually including barbecued ribs and at least two dishes featuring mouth-watering Guatemalan flavors. For those unfamiliar with a dish, each server has a POS tablet with pictures of each entree. Diners can choose one or all of the dishes, and reorder as often as desired.
While the hot dishes are being prepared fresh in the kitchen, there’s a cold salad and pasta bar in the center of the dining room with fruit, two warm appetizers, and soup.
For the present, the buffet is only offered on Thursday and Friday nights beginning at 5 p.m. Some nights may include a chef special, and the buffet menu can vary from week-to-week. On opening night last week, catfish, ribs, sliders, chicken empanadas, steak street tacos, and the Shuko sandwich were featured.
The brainchild of Manager/Chef Fernando Fuentes and his team, the kitchen-to-table buffet is still in its experimental stage and diners are encouraged to give feedback and offer ideas. “This method saves a lot of food waste,” Fuentes said. “Food doesn’t sit around on a steam table, there are no huge quantities left over if it’s a slow night, and this is just a more sanitary way to do things.”
Fuentes has been running Cattleman’s since 2019 and is no stranger to the restaurant biz, having worked alongside his dad, who was a teacher and a part time chef in Guatemala. Fuentes came to Green Forest in 1999 and met fellow countryman Elsie here. They were married in 2002 and have three children; Hanya, Jafet, and Emanuel – who are all now part of the family business at Cattleman’s.
“As a Christian family, we believe God put us here,” Fuentes said, “and we had prayed about opening a restaurant. I’d been coaching soccer at Green Forest since 2017, and Rob Kirby knew me from that. He knew Kirk Powell was looking for someone to run Cattleman’s and vouched for me.”
The rest is Divine Providence.
Fuentes says the thing that makes him most happy is helping the community in different ways. He was the first to bring the Central American/Mexican Independence Festival to town in September 2021/22. Plans for this year have not been announced.
Next time a trip to Harrison is in order, time it to take advantage of the food at Cattleman’s on the way there or back. Or make a date for a treat! Cattleman’s is located at 304 W. Main St. (US 62). Find menu and more info on Cattleman’s Family Restaurant on Facebook, or phone (870) 726-6032.
Dining room hours are 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. daily, with (huge) breakfasts available until close. On Thursday and Friday only, open hours are 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. with buffet beginning at 5 p.m.