Amazed By Arkansas: Jasper Restaurant Celebrating 100 Years in Same Location

The Arkansas of the early 1900's may be a world away. But in Jasper, Arkansas, there is one thing that's been a reliable constant over the last 100 years: the Ozark Café.

"Very few restaurants in the country are 100 years old," says Tim Ray, the current owner. Today the Ozark is a full service restaurant, serving a wide variety of dishes.

But in 1909, the establishment opened as what may have been the first all-you-can-eat buffet in Newton County.

Ray explains, "When it first started, it was more like a potluck. What they did is, they had a big table and they put out all different kinds of dishes, and for a quarter, you could just get whatever you wanted. And that was how it started. So it wasn't what we think of now as a restaurant."

Mounted on the original stone walls and under the original wood rafters, are hundreds of pictures. They recall the life of the early days in Jasper, the river baptisms, the popular Diamond Cave and the various remodels of the café itself.

"Yeah, we had people from all over the United States come to Diamond Cave. They had big signs up and everything. Of course, it was all dirt roads then," says Danny Hawkins.

Hawkins and Helen Jones-Reynolds have been eating at the Ozark for almost 60 years. It only took Danny a few seconds to find the picture of his 1960 Jasper High State Championship basketball team among all the pictures on the walls.

And though the place is popular with many and often bustling with business, they enjoy the fact it is still much like it was when they were growing up.

Hawkins says, "We were talking about that, that we're so glad that this place hasn't really changed that much. Jones-Reynolds adds, "As much as other stuff has changed around us in the world, this little place really hasn't changed." Hawkins chimes in, "This is heaven in Arkansas. It really is."

The kitchen has evolved from the original wood fire stove. Owner Tim Ray has pictures of the fire stove with a huge vent hood collecting the smoke.

It takes a crew of a dozen or more to keep the orders moving; orders that include chili, chicken and desserts from recipes true to tradition.

But there's something that's not listed on the menu there. And that's the pleasure of enjoying something as simple as ice cream, in the same seat, in the same place, as you or perhaps even your parents did as a child.

Jasper is just under 2 hours north of Russellville on scenic Highway 7. The Ozark Cafe is right across the street from the Newton County Courthouse.