
There appears to be some movement on the former Cafe Prego property at 5510 Kavanaugh Blvd. in Little Rock.
East Harding Inc. of Little Rock earlier this month applied to the city for a building permit for a project valued at $2.7 million. The project is described as a complete renovation along with an addition and lists a new kitchen among the changes.
General Enterprises Co. sold the property to Kavanaugh Restaurant Properties LLC in April 2021 for $540,000.
Cafe Prego, started by Louis and Jacqueline Petit, was a beloved, longtime Heights restaurant with an Italian focus and had occupied the Kavanaugh location for about 20 years. It was bought by Brian Lane and Maureen Martin in 2012 and closed in late 2020, apparently one of many restaurant casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic.
John C. Stephens is listed as manager of Kavanaugh Restaurant Properties on the Arkansas secretary of state’s website. The LLC has an address of 111 Center St., which happens to be the location of Stephens Inc., where John Stephens serves as a vice president and a member of the mergers and acquisitions group. A call to Stephens’ office hadn’t been returned as of press time.
Jamie Collins, director of planning and development for the city of Little Rock, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette last year that a rezoning request submitted by John Stephens involved plans to create “a classic Italian restaurant.”