Village People

Writer: Rebekah Hall Scott | Photographer: Jamie Lee

A new generation of developers, owners, and restaurateurs seeks to continue the legacy of Little Rock’s Breckenridge Village through ample food offerings

Team Effort
Jim Keet (center) and sons Jake (left) and Tommy make up JTJ Restaurants LLC, the group behind Taziki’s, Petit & Keet, Cypress Social, and more. They teamed up with the Kelley Group and the Bodnar Group to form KBK-Breck LLC which, along with financial partners Relyance Bank and First Financial Bank, are responsible for revitalizing Breckenridge Village.

For decades, Little Rock residents have made memories at Breckenridge Village, which was built in the mid-1970s. Today, KBK-Breck LLC, which includes well-known restaurateur Tommy Keet, is breathing new life into the center with a restaurant-forward focus.

“I grew up in Little Rock and spent a lot of time hanging out at Breckenridge,” Tommy says. “I remember it being such a wonderful place, and we wanted to try to revitalize something from my youth that would be really exciting for all of Little Rock. It’s been a lot of work, but as we get things open, the vision is starting to be realized, and it’s very exciting.”

The project kicked off in May 2022; however, the destructive tornado that hit Little Rock in March 2023 delayed progress significantly. “Would we have more things open right now had the tornado not come through? Of course. But it brought the city together and really showed what a great community this is,” Tommy says. “It has posed a lot of challenges, but it’s also shown the resilience of Little Rock.”

In addition to setbacks related to the tornado damage, Tommy says the shopping center required extensive updates, due to its age. “The regulations for what was appropriate for a restaurant in 1980 have changed in the last 45 years,” he says. “We put in three 9,000-gallon grease interceptors and other things like that in order to make this a restaurant-destination hub. We wanted to do something exciting, but also renovate and bring it all back up to code.”

Breckenridge Village’s new restaurant-forward era has already brought Waldo’s Chicken & Beer, Deluca’s Pizza, and Neverwhere Coffee, Comics & Oddities to the center. Eat My Catfish, which opened in Breckenridge in 2016, closed for a year and underwent an extensive renovation following the tornado. New locations of Flyway Brewing and The Root Café will also soon be joining the mix.

In addition, Mt. Fuji Japanese Restaurant—which became Little Rock’s first sushi restaurant in 1987—has also been renovated and reopened. Aaron Jackson and his brother, Yusuke, are among the new owners of Mt. Fuji, which has been a long-standing staple of the center. They recall fond memories of growing up in the restaurant where their mother worked. Along with Aaron’s wife, Shannon, they look forward to proudly carrying on its legacy in this new phase. “My parents have had a hand in it for a long while, so it’s kind of a tribute to that first generation,” Aaron says. “The previous owner, Emiko, and my mom moved away from Japan to start a new life, not knowing anyone, and we’re keeping their hard work alive.”

Customers can expect plenty of their old favorites and some new additions to the menu, which Aaron says is designed to celebrate the restaurant’s rich history. “We didn’t want to come in, change everything, and have it be a different place with the same name,” he says. “We wanted to make sure the recipes were kept to that 25-year tradition. We want to put in our own culinary inventions, but stick to the authenticity.”

Similarly, for Anthony Valinoti, establishing the Little Rock location of Deluca’s Pizza has been all about maintaining the quality of the original Hot Springs operation. He says working with the project’s partners has made that possible. “When you get involved with a group who truly knows the restaurant business, it gives me confidence, because this is a well-oiled machine,” Anthony says. Opened in October, this location serves the New York-style, brick-oven pizza Deluca’s has become known for, plus other Italian favorites such as house-made pastas and cannoli.

Another much-anticipated new addition is a second iteration of The Root Café. Though the format of the shopping center is quite different from the restaurant’s spot on South Main Street, owner Jack Sundell says the location is exactly what his team has been looking for. “We wanted to be really intentional about what area we chose, and this immediately felt right for us,” Jack says. He values the history of the center, which mirrors the memories people hold about The Root Café’s downtown spot. “People my age have told me about Breckenridge being part of their childhood, so there’s a nostalgic quality to it,” he says. “Breckenridge is this existing community asset that had kind of been neglected for a little bit, but they’re not tearing it down and rebuilding—they’re revitalizing something that’s already there.”

The former Breckenridge Village movie theater, located at one end of the center, is also seeing a revamp. It’s set to open in early 2025 as Film Alley, owned by Schulman Theatres. Tommy says the ownership group plans to bring in more retail to the center as well—making it a one-stop destination everyone can enjoy.

For Tommy, the project is also a celebration of Arkansas’s capital city and its people. “I love this city, and I love this state,” he says. “I believe that the people here are outstanding. I just want to see this city be recognized for the hidden gem that it is. This has been two-and-a-half years of a lot of work, risk, and investment, but we believe it’s going to pay off.”

The Root Café’s sign over its second location, which is set to open before the end of the year.

Deluca’s Pizza owner and founder Anthony Valinoti with lead cooks from their Hot Springs location and members of the management teams from both Little Rock and Hot Springs.