Jonesboro, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – The Downtown Jonesboro Alliance (DJA) will be inviting diners in October for a night of food and fellowship at its first ever Meal on Main.

DJA executive director Sarah Doss told JRN the idea has been in the works for a few years and was inspired by similar events in other Arkansas communities. The event will be a community-wide meal that diners pre-purchase tickets for, with food served by various downtown restaurants.

“We will shut down a portion of Main Street and have one big, long table spanning down Main Street for us to dine together,” Doss said. “We have various downtown restaurants and chefs participating in this to bring us a really excellent meal. I think it’s gonna be a really special evening for everybody.”

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Doss said the night would begin with a cocktail hour, with hors d’oeuvres served by Bamboo Japanese Cuisine, Brickhouse Bar and Grill, and The Rec Room. A salad course will be served by Lemonade House Grille, followed by an entrée from The Cotton Club. The meal will conclude with a dessert served by Lemonade House Grille.

Doss said she hopes to deliver a unique downtown experience to diners. She added that live music will accompany the meal.

“We’re hoping to dine at sunset, underneath our string lights on Main Street,” she said. “We’re really wanting to just capture the environment that we have downtown at this event.”

Prospective diners will need to pre-purchase tickets beforehand, which will be available for purchase beginning Sept. 22 on the DJA website. Individual tickets are $75, or tickets for a table of six can be purchased for $400. The event is limited to 150 diners.

While this is just the first year for the event, Doss said it will become the DJA’s sole fundraising event. Proceeds from ticket sales will go toward the DJA’s mission of promoting downtown Jonesboro and increasing commerce in the area.

“We really hope that our community is gonna rally around this event and enjoy something new and different from us,” she said.

Doss added that the mission of Meal on Main is similar to the DJA’s Culinary Crawls, in which participants sample a curated menu from different participating restaurants. The DJA hosted its first brunch-themed Culinary Crawl in April, and will again host its dinner-focused version on Small Business Saturday, which is Nov. 28 this year.

“We have, really, an excellent restaurant scene downtown, and I feel like events like this help people see what every restaurant can offer,” Doss said. “If one restaurant feels like you’re nervous to commit a whole meal there, you can just taste test it a bit like this.”

Meal on Main is set for Oct. 22 on Main Street in downtown Jonesboro. Cocktail hour will be from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and diners will sit down for the full meal at 6:30 p.m.

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