When Ben Brainard and Dragana Miteva first walked into the space at 1004 Oak Street, they didn’t need to say much.

“We looked at each other and smiled,” Brainard recalled. “It felt like a Big Bad Breakfast.”

The restaurant, known for its chef-driven approach to classic Southern breakfast, will open its doors on Dec. 9. For Brainard, who operates Big Bad Breakfast locations across Arkansas, Conway was always the obvious next step.

“It was the very first place we looked outside Little Rock, and we didn’t look anywhere else,” he said. “We knew we wanted to come to Conway. It’s the fastest-growing city in the state, but it’s also 25 minutes door-to-door from our home.”

A Space with History and Character

The Oak Street building’s history played a major role in their decision. Once a mercantile, the space still carried the kind of details Brainard, BBB market partner, and Miteva, BBB operating partner, wanted to preserve.

“The brickwork, the general layout, it already made sense for us,” Brainard said. “We just wanted to keep it Conway.”

With help from designer Shelby Cotton, the team leaned into the building’s character rather than replacing it.

“There’s no template,” Brainard said. “Each Big Bad Breakfast is meant to fit its community. We wanted people to walk in and see something unique.”

That philosophy is rooted in how the restaurant’s founder, chef John Currence, envisioned the concept. But for Brainard and Miteva, who live in central Arkansas, making each location feel genuine is also personal.

“We wanted to build something that Conway would be proud of,” he said.

Breakfast Built for Conway

While the menu will launch with Big Bad Breakfast’s “greatest hits,” Brainard said Conway’s version will evolve based on local preferences.

“We’re cooks at our foundation,” he said. “We’ll listen a lot. Maybe there’s something in Conway that people want that folks in Little Rock or Birmingham don’t.”

Brainard said Conway can expect a rotating chalkboard of new dishes alongside the brand’s familiar staples like homemade biscuits, gravies, and jellies — all made from scratch daily.

For Brainard, quality is non-negotiable.

“We don’t open any bags,” he said. “Everything is fresh. We take painstaking detail to make sure the things that really matter — the quality of the ingredients, the techniques we use — are done right.”

The Art of Creating Morning Energy

Big Bad Breakfast will operate seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Those hours reflect two distinct sides of the business. Weekdays are for efficiency — hot coffee, quick plates, and friendly service for guests headed to work.

“If somebody comes in for breakfast, we need to get their food out in under 10 minutes,” Brainard said.

Weekends, however, are a different story.

“We really lean into our weekends,” he said. “We want you to stay, order another round, maybe a bottle of bubbles instead of a glass, and let us take care of you. Brunch is important to us, and we do it better than anybody else.”

The focus now is on Dec. 9 and making sure the restaurant opens as ready as possible. Training will take place the week before, with the doors open to anyone curious enough to peek in.

“We’ll be here every day cleaning and organizing,” Brainard said. “Stick your head in and say hi.”