Chef Jennifer Maune has announced plans for Restaurant Fleur. Her first restaurant, the upscale eatery will occupy the ground level of the newly renovated Bob R. Brooks Justice Center at 101 W. Capitol Avenue in downtown Little Rock. Floors two through 12 of the buiding house the office of Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin. Griffin, who led the press conference announcing the news on Monday, May 5, at the site, noted he “could not imagine a more perfect tenant for our beautiful building.”
Maune, a Little Rock native, worked as a professional blogger before attending the University of Arkansas Pulaski Technical College of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute. From there, she garnered national attention as a contestant and second runner-up on the hit television series MasterChef featuring Gordon Ramsay. She went on to train in Michelin-starred restaurants, including California’s famous French Laundry, and also received an expert diploma in culinary arts at École Ducasse in Paris.
She plans to use this influence for the menu, which will feature French-American offerings prepared with seasonal, locally grown and sourced ingredients. “Guests can expect soulful, elevated cooking that merges French elegance with Southern hospitality and cultural richness,” she said. The restaurant will be open for both lunch and dinner, a factor Griffin said was important to him as a member of the downtown community. He further commented on the model and success of neighboring restaurant Samantha’s Tap Room & Wood Grill and his desire to replicate that here in regard to the eatery’s accessibility. In addition, Maune confirmed they will also be open on weekends and plan to offer Sunday brunch.
Set to open in January 2026, the dining room will offer seating for 92 along with a private room that can accommodate between 50 and 60 people. In addition, there will be a chef’s table space and a craft coffee shop, a place where Griffin noted office workers can grab a cup of coffee after lunch before heading back to their desks. Maune said a second phase of the restaurant will include a separate pastry shop in the ground-floor venue. “We want to bring a world-class experience to Arkansas and grow this concept around the country,” she said.
In regards to the building, which was recently renovated following more than two decades of standing vacant, Maune noted that she is in talks with architects and interior designers to define the restaurant’s look. It is her intention to preserve and even replicate many of the historic features in the 1909 building, including original tile that was found in the basement.
Follow Maune on Facebook and Instagram for updates on the restaurant’s progress and opening.
Want to know more about Jennifer Maune? Read about her background in blogging and influence her grandmother had on her love of cooking in back issues of our sister publication, At Home in Arkansas (linked above).
