Beer Belly’s Bar and Grill opens on Highway 5 at state line
Beer Belly’s Bar and Grill opened last week off Highway 5, south of Gainesville, near the Missouri - Arkansas state line in a building that formerly housed The Ranch House. Owners are, from left, Tony and wife Jessi Walrath along with Tony’s parents Rich and Sally Long. Tony and Jessi also own Live Edge Bar and Grill in Mountain Home, Arkansas.
Beer Belly’s Bar and Grill owner Rich Long and 6-year-old granddaughter Jenna stand at the front of the newly opened restaurant to welcome customers on their first day open. Rich and wife Sally own Beer Belly’s with their son Tony and his wife Jessi, who are the parents of Jenna and three teens: 16-year-old Kai, 17-year-old Kiana and 18-year-old Malia, who works at Beer Belly’s.
Editor’s note: The Times offers free news articles for new Ozark County businesses or businesses that have new owners. If you have opened a new business and are interested in being featured, contact Editor Jessi Dreckman at jessi@ozarkcountytimes.com or by calling the Times office at 417-679-4641.
Those traveling down Highway 5, south of Gainesville toward the Arkansas state line, might be slightly distracted by the mouth-watering scent of slow smoked fresh pulled pork and other smoked meats, delicious burgers and ribeye steaks as they pass by the newly opened Beer Belly’s Bar and Grill.
The restaurant opened last week, and owners Tony and Jessi Walrath and Rich and Sally Long say the community has welcomed them with open arms - and empty bellies.
What’s on the menu?
Beer Belly’s features an interesting menu that blends together traditional down-home diner favorites with a few interesting twists.
Appetizers include beer battered onion rings, chili queso fries, pickle fries, jumbo wings, loaded fries and southern bang-bang shrimp. Homemade chili, seasonal soups, wedge salads and house salads round out the before-dinner options.
Guests have main course options of burgers and handheld dinners, chicken strip and gulf shrimp baskets, seared steaks, pulled pork, jalapeno cheddar or original sausage and artisan flatbreads.
A house favorite, the namesake Beer Belly Burger features a half-pound burger topped with cheddar cheese, fresh smoked pulled pork, smoked sausage and BBQ sauce.
Homemade sides of mac and cheese, crispy fries, potato salad, baked beans, cole slaw are served with all meals.
Kids meals of hot ham and cheese sandwich, mac and cheese and chicken tenders are available for those under 12.
Beer Belly’s rich butter cake, served ala mode, or a simple ice cream sundae with chocolate syrup let guests end the meal on a sweet note.
Drinks include soft drinks, iced tea, coffee, Arnold Palmers, root beer floats, beer on tap and by bottle and a full bar.
A family affair
The owners are more than just business partners, they’re family.
Tony is Sally and Rich’s son, and Jessi is their daughter-in-law.
Sally said she is no stranger to the area, having grown up in Oakland, Arkansas. She moved to Mountain Home, where she raised son Tony.
“He’s born and raised in Mountain Home,” she said proudly.
“Tony spent time in several local restaurant kitchens during his high school days, and his love of cooking began,” Sally told the Times. “He also worked at Chateau on the Lake in Branson where he perfected his culinary skills.”
Moving back home
In the early 2000s Sally and Tony moved out west for a period of time. That’s when, while living in Idaho, Sally met now-husband Rich, who was originally from Oregon, and Tony met now-wife Jessi, who was originally from Alaska.
“After several years of working in various industries, Tony and Jessi relocated back to Mountain Home in October 2020 and opened up Live Edge Bar and Grill,” Sally explained. “The ‘Edge’ is located in Mountain Home on Highway 5 South.”
It took Sally and Rich a little longer to move back to the Ozarks, but this January the couple relocated to Mountain Home to help with Sally’s mother, whose health was declining.
“With no plans for employment due to the move, we partnered with Tony and Jessi to open up Beer Belly’s Bar and Grill,” Sally said.
An ideal location
Beer Belly’s Bar and Grill has opened in the rustic wood-sided building that formerly housed a longtime Ozark County favorite restaurant, The Ranch House, which closed in 2017.
A second location of Cotter, Arkansas, restaurant The Warrior Cafe, reopened in the building in January 2019 but closed that summer.
A couple other short-lived restaurants have come and gone since that time, but none have stayed.
Tony, Jessi, Sally and Rich made the decision to take on the new business in May after the building became available to lease.
After touring the property, they were convinced that the location was perfect to fill a gap in the dining industry, as there are no restaurants from Gainesville almost to Mountain Home, Arkansas, they say.
“We hope to offer a service for folks in the Oakland, Promise Land, Three Brothers and Midway area, as well as folks from Pontiac, Theodosia and Gainesville... not to mention the hundreds of tourists that visit the Ozarks and Twin Lakes area,” she said.
Check it out
Beer Belly’s is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Monday for lunch and dinner. They are closed on Tuesdays.
The restaurant is located at 216 State Highway 5, Gainesville.
For more information visit “Beer Belly’s Bar & Grill” on Facebook.
The restaurant has Direct TV with NFL package and will be offering numerous sporting events in the future.
“We are all thrilled to be living back home in this gorgeous part of the county and can’t wait to provide a great place for our customers to come eat, hang out, and enjoy themselves,” Sally said.