Arkadelphia Life - 37

CATFISH

MAN

O'Keefe's Fish Net continues a
36-year legacy of fine food
Text: Richard Ledbetter
Photography: Jeff Fuller-Freeman

ith over three and a half decades under his
belt at the same location, Ronnie O'Keefe
may be the longest continuously operating
restaurateur in Arkansas. His Fish Net restaurant near DeGray Lake has been serving fresh,
never frozen, grilled, fried and baked catfish steaks and fillets for 36 years. O'Keefe says, " Other restaurants have been
around longer but not under the same ownership for as long. "
Originally from Camden Fairview, O'Keefe says, " I went to
college at Southern State in Magnolia (now Southern Arkansas University) as a math major studying to be an accountant.
When I graduated I didn't want to sit behind a desk so I went
into retail with Belk's Department Store in downtown Camden. When my dad retired from the Camden Police Department, he and my mom bought and operated the Arkansas
Café. They ran it 24 hours, 7 days a week until their divorce.
When my mom remarried, she bought the Bon Ton Café and
operated it as a breakfast and lunch diner in Camden. I took
over when she began to have health issues and catering became our primary business. East Camden defense contractors
were in their heyday and we'd set up and serve buffet lunches
to 1,500-1,800 employees almost every day.
" My family would come to DeGray Lake camping on week-

ends, " O'Keefe says, " When this restaurant was brand-new, I
located the guy who owned it; he built and sold restaurants.
I approached him about purchasing it only to discover he'd
just sold it. I told the new owner I'd be interested if he ever
decided to sell. Eight months later he figured out there is a
lot more to the food service business than just cooking and
we took over October 1, 1985. We've added on twice and
completely remodeled six times in 36 years. " O'Keefe continues, " We've been featured in Arkansas Times as the leading
catfish restaurant in the state. We have evolved to more than
just catfish over the past 10 years and now serve seafood and
steaks. One of our suppliers told me, 'It's amazing how much
beef you sell for a seafood restaurant.'
" Our beef is top-quality. You'll pay $25 for our steaks where
you'd pay $45 elsewhere. Our beef supplier owned Creek
Stone Farms, one of the largest beef producers in America.
After he sold out, he returned home to Iowa and began raising corn-fed cows which eventually grew into 'Establishment
8' beef producers. They buy all Angus cattle within 50 miles
of the farm and feed them corn for 90 days. He processes and
ages the beef for four months before shipping to me. "
Asked what some customer favorites are, O'Keefe says,
" Our breaded and fried oysters are very popular. We also
ARKADELPHIA LIFE 2021

Arkadelphia Life

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Arkadelphia Life