The holidays won’t be complete without meats from Richard’s Country Meat Market

Whatever your holiday tradition, there’s one place to go for the best selection of prime cuts of beef, pork, lamb, veal, sausage, seafood and more. Richard’s Country Meat Market has been serving Northwest Arkansas for nearly 30 years with their quality selection of meat and seafood. A trip to this iconic meat market in Fayetteville should definitely be on your holiday to-do list.

The market is taking safe and sensible precautions during this time, including offering curbside service.

“We really want people to understand that they can still shop inside the store,” owner Richard McGinnis said. “They can still come inside if they want to. But we also know that some of our customers would rather have the option of not coming in.”

With that in mind, Richard has one number customers can call to place an order ahead of time: (479) 443-0000, and give their credit card. The order will be prepared and when the customer drives up, they call another number: (479) 521-1464, and their order will be brought out to them. It will have already been paid for so there will be minimum contact between the market associate and the customer. Of course they can also order ahead and come inside to pay when they arrive or come in and look through the case and select their meats like always. “We wanted them to have a choice,” Richard added. “Whichever way makes them comfortable.”

Richard has also taken other precautions as a responsible merchant. “Until this thing plays itself out,” Richard continued, “we will not be making our lunch sandwiches and soups. We decided that was the best way to get people in and out fast without having crowds build up inside.” They are still offering their delicious frozen foods to go, like lasagna and manicottis. Only the lunchtime sandwiches and soups are being temporarily discontinued. And they will come back when it is deemed safe to do so.

“We’ve been selling a lot of our freezer bundles because people want to load up and cut down on their time out in public,” Richard added. “We have five different bundles to chose from: Variety Bundle, Steak Bundle, Smoker Bundle, Deluxe Bundle and Richard’s special, plus a 40 lb. frozen pack of ground beef. The specific items in the bundles vary week to week ”

Richard McGinnis has dedicated his adult life to providing the superior meats and customer service that he does today. He started young in the food industry, and now has forty-five years of experience from which he offers sage advice to those seeking the finest ingredients, recipes, and cooking techniques. The original Country Time Meat Shoppe opened in Fayetteville in the 1980s. In 1993, Richard and a partner bought it and in 1997 he made it his own family business, renaming it Richard’s Country Meat Market.

The shop’s homemade recipes use their premium cuts of beef, pork, chicken, lamb, veal, or specialty meats like locally raised buffalo to keep you coming back for more. Their best sellers are their seasoned burgers (including a Bison Burger) made from fresh-ground beef, and the classic bacon-wrapped tenderloin filet. Add to that quail, ducks, gator tail meat, lamb and veal. And, with 8-12 varieties of fresh fish available in a given day and an impressive selection of frozen fish, Richard’s can meet any seafood need you have as well.

“We pride ourselves in having top-choice and prime-rated meat,” says McGinnis of his steaks from Tysonowned IBP. “But it’s really our customer service and quality that separates us from the competition.” Part of serving their customers means offering those good old-fashioned country meat market items as well. Along with the gourmet items Richard’s offers deli items like headcheese and pickle and pimento loaf.

Finally, you couldn’t talk about Richards Country Meat market without giving a nod to their homemade seasonings - some 15 or 20 varieties of seasonings including barbecue, steak rubs and more. And they still are offering up those delicious pies, desserts and cookies too!

Richard’s Country Meat Market is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and closed Sunday and Monday. For more information, call (479) 443-0000 or visit richardscountrymeatmarket.com.