Root Cafe owners Jack Sundell and Corri Bristow-Sundell sold Mockingbird Bar & Tacos to to JLC Entertainment Holdings, owned by Johnny Campbell and Harry and Joe Einhorn effective today.
Opened at 1220 S. Main St. in Little Rock’s SoMa district in 2018 by The Root owners, Mockingbird serves farm-to-table tacos and other locally sourced comfort food with a Latin American flair and a focus on fresh, quality ingredients and scratch cooking. Like The Root, Mockingbird presents foods and flavors through the lens of local and seasonal Arkansas ingredients.
The restaurant was originally called Dos Rocas before the Sundells become the sole owners in 2019, rebranding and updating the menu to the concept known today.
JLC Entertainment Holdings was founded this year as a partnership between Harry Einhorn, his son Joe Einhorn, and their longtime friends John and Lisa Campbell. The group currently operates a pizza restaurant in Cabot. Executive Chef Stephen “Buddy” Seals will oversee the menu for Mockingbird. Seals has a diverse restaurant background that includes Capital Hotel, John Daly’s Steakhouse, and Greystone Country Club..
The immediate plans for Mockingbird will be to carry on business as usual. Short term they plan to invest heavily in the bar program to make it a neighborhood destination, filling much of the bar void left by Atlas on just a few doors down. They also plan to re-introduce brunch and look at a number of specials as ideas for future menu items.
“We are so very pleased to become part of the SoMa district and jumped at the chance when Greg Henderson brought this opportunity to us,” Campbell said. “We will be great stewards of the community that surrounds us as we are with our current operations. We support numerous charitable organizations and feel as owners/operators that this is part of our calling.”
The Mockingbird sell allows previous owners Jack and Corri to focus on their original concept, The Root Cafe, located just down the street at 1500 Main St. The Root Cafe, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2021, and is looking to expand to a second location in the near future.
Full Disclosure: Rock City Eats and myself, Greg Henderson, were involved in brokering the deal between the two parties through our Rock City Commercial brand
— Full Release —
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS (August 1, 2022) – Root Cafe owners Jack Sundell and Corri Bristow-Sundell sold Mockingbird Bar & Tacos to JLC Entertainment Holdings, owned by Johnny Campbell and Harry and Joe Einhorn. Greg Henderson, commercial real estate agent and owner of Rock City Eats, brokered the sale of the restaurant, which closed today.
Opened at 1220 S. Main St. in Little Rock’s SoMa district in 2018 by The Root owners, Mockingbird serves farm-to-table tacos and other locally sourced comfort food with a Latin American flair and a focus on fresh, quality ingredients and scratch cooking. Like The Root, Mockingbird presents foods and flavors through the lens of local and seasonal Arkansas ingredients.
The restaurant was originally called Dos Rocas before the Sundells become the sole owners in 2019, rebranding and updating the menu to the concept known today.
“We are so very pleased to become part of the SoMa district and jumped at the chance when Greg Henderson brought this opportunity to us,” Campbell said. “We will be great stewards of the community that surrounds us as we are with our current operations. We support numerous charitable organizations and feel as owners/operators that this is part of our calling.”
JLC Entertainment Holdings was founded this year as a partnership between Harry Einhorn, his son Joe Einhorn, and their longtime friends John and Lisa Campbell. The group currently operates a pizza restaurant in Cabot. Executive Chef Stephen “Buddy” Seals will oversee the menu for Mockingbird. Seals has a diverse restaurant background that includes Capital Hotel, John Daly’s Steakhouse, Greystone Country Club, and Cracker Barrel.
“Chef Buddy is extremely committed to providing the freshest ingredients utilizing local vendors,” Campbell said.
Greg Henderson said he always wants to see SoMa succeed. “As a resident of the area, SoMa has long been the unofficial homebase for Rock City Eats,” Henderson said. “When looking for a buyer for Mockingbird, it was important to find someone who could not only do a great job with the next phase of Mockingbird, but also contribute to the overall community in SoMa. Johnny Campbell and his team have shown me over the years a commitment beyond just serving food but serving the community as a whole. That is what ultimately made him the best person to approach about the business.”
Located at 1500 Main St., The Root Cafe, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2021, is also known for its locally sourced ingredients and farm-to-table focus. It was featured on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” in 2018.
Jack Sundell described The Root’s plans moving forward. “We will be working toward opening a second Root Cafe location in Breckenridge Village, right next to the planned Deluca’s Pizzeria,” he said. “We’re excited to have the opportunity to focus on this new project and pass Mockingbird on to someone who is ready to give it the love and attention it deserves. Johnny Campbell and his chef Buddy Seals and manager Joe Einhorn have impressed us with their enthusiasm, business acumen, and strong desire to be part of the SoMa business community.”
