Bentoville Food Theater to spotlight diverse cuisine
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A rendering of the Bentoville Food Theater. Illustration: Courtesy of Carlos Rocafort IV/All Turtles
Onyx Coffee Lab and the startup restaurant concept Bentoville Food Theater are joining forces to create a novel experiential dining venue in downtown Bentonville.
Why it matters: Northwest Arkansas is growing fast, but it's still not big enough to support a constant global restaurant variety that many residents crave.
- The theater model is a bet that rotating, ticketed chef "shows" can deliver the diversity of big-city dining without requiring hundreds of permanent restaurants.
Onyx Coffee Lab
The space that was home to Pressroom until 2024 and the hallway between it and the existing Onyx Coffee Lab are being remodeled as one large space, Onyx co-owner Jon Allen told Axios.
How it works: Onyx's existing coffee bar will become its "west bar" focusing on coffee, while its new "east bar" will focus heavily on matcha and tea. Some staple menu items will be available at both, and there will be a walk-up window to order from at the newly renovated space.
- The owners hope the expansion will alleviate the typically long lines, Allen said. Seats will double from about 80 to 160.
- The community room inside the coffee shop will be remodeled into a wine shop, similar to offerings at other Onyx locations like Hail Fellow Well Met in Johnson.
The intrigue: Onyx has sold bento boxes from Bentoville, which hasn't had a brick-and-mortar restaurant, at its coffee shops.
- "I don't think it'll feel any different than if you went to a food hall in downtown L.A. and it had a coffee bar and an Indian restaurant," Allen said.
Bentoville Food Theater
Bentoville creator Phil Libin walked through sawdust and past scaffolds and dodged construction workers to show Axios the restaurant taking shape behind covered windows. Libin, who's also CEO of startup studio All Turtles, relocated to NWA from San Francisco during the pandemic.
- "The theater concept isn't a gimmick. It's the only way that I can live here year-round and have … diversity of food," he said.
The vibe: A theater motif, complete with outside posters touting coming attractions, will drive the experience. Patrons can buy tickets online for a specific show or wait in line for open seats.
There will be three stages, or dining areas, each with a rotating menu. All have bar-style seating facing the chefs, the food and whatever drama unfolds as meals are made.
- The center stage will be much like a traditional sushi bar, where counter-prepped items will be served.
- Farther back will be a grill stage — using charcoal from Japan — that will focus on yakitori, robata and small grilled plates.
- Finally, a show stage backs up to the full kitchen and is designed to accommodate rotating menu concepts and visiting chefs.
Zoom (way) out: The concept is broader than Japanese cuisine, though it will initially be anchored in that food due to Libin's chef relationships.
By the numbers: The venue has hired two full-time chefs and will hire more. The dining space is about 6,000 square feet, and Libin expects about 45 employees to eventually work there.
The big picture: Libin and investors envision the theater concept being replicable in other "Goldilocks" markets — fast-growing areas with populations between 500,000 and 1.5 million.
What they're saying: "We're literally building what we think of as a theater that attracts traveling food performers."
What's next: Construction is tentatively expected to end in April, Allen said.
- Bentoville plans to begin practicing service in April with a grand opening sometime in May, Libin said.