Arkansas Business

Quality ingredients and low prices were his strategy, Fleming Stockton said. “We never made a lot of money because we didn’t charge a lot,” he said. However, downtown Little Rock has seen multiple home-cooking joints come and go over time, while Your Mama’s has survived, he said.

Customers let Gray know when the food doesn’t taste the way Stockton made it, Gray said.

Recipes that call for a handful of a spice turn out differently with a hand that’s not Stockton’s, Gray said. “If it’s cayenne pepper, it is a big deal,” he said. “I feel like we’ve had to start over, with the advantages of an existing business. Much of it is starting new.”

Your Mama’s Food Sales

*Closed Aug. 26 - Nov. 22, 2011
Source: Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau

The new location is nearly twice as big as the previous spot, and the Maxwells and Gray hope to grow the restaurant in it.

As part of trying to grow, Gray is testing new menu items and wants to experiment with some made-to-order options.

In addition, Gray launched after-hours ordering for take-out food in December. Online ordering should begin in 2013. Both began later than planned. “We may have been ambitious about what we wanted to achieve at opening,” Maxwell said.