Franke's: A 'Cafeterial' Institution Survives and Thrives in Little Rock

My lifetime has seen the decline and fall of the cafeteria. It has become a very endangered species. However, Little Rock can boast of having a hardy survivor — Franke's at 400 Broadway in the basement of the Regions Center Building.

I could bother to write an exhaustively detailed review here or sing its praises, but I won't. That's because it has been thoroughly reviewed in other places and frequently makes the best lists. Townies know it and know it's there. I'm really mentioning it here because it is the sort of place many newcomers might easily overlook.

Roast beef, mac and cheese, greens and a roll. Note: This
is technically the "Lite Plate" portion, believe it or not.

My wife, the Jenny, has many fond memories of eating at Franke's with her grandmother. I can't share those, but I can say that I always feel good about eating there. If you want a hot plate lunch with some tasty veggies and a roll, then it's the downtown place to go. 

Because my eating habits are not always the healthiest, I almost always feel good about eating there because I can get some tasty servings of vegetables — a food group I often lack in my daily diet. One of my personal favorites is the greens. In true Southern style, they cook them with a hunk of pork, but it's not just pork fat like in most places. It's actual pork meat, and it seems to make all the difference. Good stuff. If you don't want to stuff yourself and you want to save a dollar or two, then just ask your server for the "Lite Plate." They'll give you a smaller portion of the entree. The last time I asked for a Lite Plate of roast beef though, they gave me too big slabs of it. Hey, I'm not complaining.

Ham, pinto beans and carrots

I don't know for a fact that they know me on sight, but I'm beginning to feel like they do. Rumor has it that once you start working at Franke's you don't leave. The eatery has many veteran employees, and they know the food and clientele. At lunch, it's mostly downtown workers, many of whom give the appearance of being bankers.

When you patronize Franke's, you'll be helping to maintain a Southern tradition that sadly has taken it on the chin from the rise of fast food. The cafeteria used to define casual dining and it was an efficient way to serve lunch briskly. Obviously though, it does not allow for a drive-through and other such late 20th century innovations. Cafeterias were not exclusive to the South, but they were more fully embraced there. Clearly they continue to thrive at some universities and hospitals, but Franke's is a wonderful, still thriving example of the standalone commercial cafeteria. Franke's website details its own history more fully. I do need to mention though it has been around and in downtown for 88 years. For atmosphere, friendliness and down-home cooking, it can't be beat. Long Live Franke's!

Rating: Franke's — A+

Franke's, 400 Broadway Ave. Regions Center Building, 372-1919; also at 11121 N. Rodney Parham Ave., 225-4487.