Riverbend was okay. Just okay. But it's one of only a few options if you're at this small airport and want a meal you didn't carry in with you.
The food was average at best. Several of us ordered Barbecue (provided by another local, and very good restaurant), but it still easily took 30 minutes for it to come out, along with the other food that wasn't BBQ. When it did, it the BBQ was cold and dry. Then we had to ask for BBQ sauce. And it wasn't clear why food that we knew was already prepared took so long to come to the table. My son (as he often does) ordered a plain hamburger. It came out with cheese, so they had to take it back to make it right.
The waitstaff was definitely polite (making this a two-star review instead of a one-star review) but incredibly slow. Interestingly, our waitress offered up that it was a "crazy day" and they were busy because people hadn't showed up to work, but from what we could see, there were only another 5-7 people in the restaurant. No one was busy. There appeared to be at least two waitresses working, as well as another fellow who was clearly helping from the back. No one seemed to be in a hurry though, and given how few customers there were, we were a bit baffled at the comment about being so busy. The gent who wasn't waitstaff actually interacted with us quite a bit more than our waitress did. Another fellow who seemed to be the manager also came to our table a few times to ask how things were.
When we were finished with our meals, it took entirely too long to get the waitress to come back by with the check. It seemed the staff would be very aware they're working inside an airport, with customers who are most likely on a schedule to catch a flight. Thankfully we were there early and not in a rush. While we waited, at least one other table of three had to get up and poke a head into the kitchen to find someone to pay. while that fellow paid, his colleagues rushed off, presumably to make their flight(s).
This restaurant was one of two that we ate at with very similar food and staff issues during our week-long visit to Little Rock. If it wasn't for several other places we visited on the trip that were good (and even amazing), I might have though I was mistaking a more casual/relaxed style of service with bad service. But I know that's not the case when there were several other establishments we visited that put this place to shame. If you have the time and need a meal at the airport, give it a go. Otherwise, I recommend checking out another establishment or eating before you arrive. read more