No matter what it is, if you win an award for nine years in a row, you are doing something right, and down at Richard’s Country Meat Market in Fayetteville; they are definitely doing something right.

They have won the Best of the Best meat market by the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for nine years running. They are clearly the place to go for all of your beef, pork and chicken needs.

It is more common than not, that if you walk into Richard’s you will be behind a long line of patrons wanting their favorite meat. But with a seasoned staff of expert butchers, the service is swift and courteous as customers walk out packing everything from Grade-A steaks to range-raised chicken.

“Steaks are still our No. 1 priority,” owner Richard McGinnis avows. “But we worked extremely hard to turn the shop into people’s everyday meat store, and we’ve done that.”

Another popular fare this time of the year has become the freshly skewered kabobs, made in house in four varieties They offer a vegetable kabob, with peppers, onions, zucchini and yellow squash. The three meat kabobs include, beef, chicken and a beef-chicken combo, which all include seven ounces of meat, as well as peppers and onions.

“And the kabobs we make have quality meats, not scraps or anything like that,” he was quick to make clear. “The beef is actual steak and the chicken is breast.”

Taking that a step farther, Richard’s also has a kitchen that prepares food, ready to eat. Until recently, prepared food was primarily served around the holidays.

When McGinnis and a partner opened the original Country Time Meat Shoppe in 1993 at 3042 N. Market Ave., across from Fiesta Square, there proved to be irony in the street’s name. Four years later, McGinnis became the sole proprietor in what is now a family-owned business and renamed it Richard’s Country Meat Market.

“The street was already named when we got here, so I guess it’s just one of those things,” McGinnis said with a grin. “Sometimes it’s strange how things work out.”

Richard’s is the definition of a true meat market — a wide variety and the choicest cuts of beef, pork, poultry, and freshest seafood around — but it’s also much more than that.

Richard’s also has a full deli, stocked mainly with Boar’s Head meats and cheeses, as well as local fresh produce and a stock of supplementary groceries. From salad ingredients to pastas, sauces and seasoning; they have it all.

“We want to provide customers with everything they need to complete their meals so they don’t have to make another stop at the grocery store,” McGinnis said.

Now, Richard’s has a daily prepared meal-deal, called “Simple Suppers,” a collection of nine single-serving meals packaged and ready to take home for just $5 each. There are three options each week on a rotational basis. The meals include a chicken tender dinner, with five tenders, mashed potatoes, gravy and corn; a pork chop with mashed sweet potatoes and mixed vegetables; a hamburger patty with mashed potatoes, gravy and corn; spaghetti and meatballs with green beans; or even brisket with baked beans roasted red potatoes.

The current week’s menu can always be found on their Facebook page by searching Richard’s Country Meat Market. The meals are available all day long.

“These have been a big hit so far, because we have made it easy for people to swing in and get a ready-to-eat meal to take home,” McGinnis said. “So we plan to keep doing them.”

McGinnis has years of experience cutting meat, beginning as a youngster at the Mercantile in his hometown of Tontitown. He then spent several years at Dillon’s grocery store and Food 4 Less, until he decided to open his own business.

He and his son, Chris, who is also his general manager, make sure to specially train all employees on the art and intricacies of meat-cutting before they hand over the butcher knife, ensuring consistency in the quality of cuts to customers.

The meat can be sliced to whatever way the customer desires, and the staff will help answer any questions that the customer may have on how to cook the delicious meat.

All of the steaks at Richard’s are from Tyson’s Chairman’s Reserve by IBP. Chairman’s Reserve grades at top-choice and prime. The steaks include beef tenderloin (most tender and the most sought-after of any cut of beef), the bacon-wrapped filet mignon (beef tenderloin wrapped in smoked bacon), and the ribeye (the most flavorful cut of meat and second only to the tenderloin in tenderness). Also available are the strip steaks (also known as the Kansas City or New York strip) and the Poterhouse and T-Bones are also popular choices.

“We generally have better quality than what grocery stores do and we can give customers more personalized service,” McGinnis said. “Our business is built on quality and service.”

For pork lovers, there are also pork loin cuts, such as America’s cut (a thick, boneless chop), butterfly chop (boneless), Iowa chop (a thick, bone-in chop), center cut (a thin, bone-in cut), boneless pork loin roast, pork tenderloin and smoked pork chops.

The list goes on and on, continuing with the shoulder meats and ribs. Such as the Boston butt roast (great for barbecue or pulled pork), baby back ribs, spare ribs, and the boneless country-style ribs.

Richard’s offers fresh whole chicken fryers (and will cut them at no charge), bone-in breasts (whole or split) and boneless breasts.

Chiken sausage is also available at Richard’s. Coming in three different types made right in the shop. Available in ¼-pound links: chicken and garlic, chicken with sun-dried tomato and basil and spicy chicken and bacon.

For seafood lovers, you can find a variety of 8-12 fresh fish each day, such as wild king salmon (when in season), yellowfin tuna, grouper, swordfish, tilapia, sea bass, red snapper, trout, catfish, wahoo, cod, flounder, sole, halibut, turbot, monk fish, haddock, black cod, and wild Gulf shrimp.

King crab legs and claws, snow crab clusters, snow crab claws, lobster tails and scallops are the shellfish options. There are also frozen fish options available, such as swordfish, tuna, catfish, orange roughy, salmon, halibut, mahi mahi, salt cod, cuttlefish, snapper, stuffed crab, stuffed scallops, crab cakes and crawfish, when in season.

Richard’s has also began selling its own freshly baked loaves of multi-seed bread, which can be purchased daily.

If you are a weight watcher or body builder, check out Richard’s Meals To Go plan. This plan allows you to come in with the stipulations of their diet (i.e. how many calories, carbs, fat, etc.) and the market will put meals together to meet those requirements.

Richard’s is open Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. More information is available on their website at richardscountrymeatmarket.com.