Texas Tavern | |
---|---|
Restaurant information | |
Established | February 13, 1930 |
Owner(s) | James Matthew Bullington |
Previous owner(s) | Issac N. Bullington James G. Bullington James N. Bullington |
Food type | Fast food |
Street address | 114 Church Ave SW |
City | Roanoke |
County | Roanoke County |
State | Virginia |
Postal/ZIP Code | 24011 |
Country | United States |
Seating capacity | 10 stools |
Nickname | Roanoke's Millionaire's Club |
Website | texastavern-inc |
Texas Tavern is a restaurant and place of cultural significance in Roanoke, Virginia. [1] [2] [3]
Issac N. (Nick) Bullington, an advance man for the Ringling Brothers Circus, opened the Texas Tavern in 1930. As part of his job for the circus, he traveled ahead of the circus booking shows. While on business in San Antonio, Texas, Bullington discovered a chile recipe that inspired his opening of the restaurant. Later, when Bullington settled in Roanoke, he opened the restaurant in the Thurman and Boone Furniture store parking lot on Church Ave. The Bullington family has passed ownership down generations. When Nick Bullington passed in 1942, his son James G. became the owner. James G. passed ownership to his son, James N., who passed ownership to his son, James Matthew Bullington, in February 2005. The latter Bullington still owns and operates the store today. [4] [5]
Little on the menu has changed since the restaurant's foundation. [6] Besides chili, it features a variety of hamburgers and hot dogs, as well as many breakfast items. Soft drinks are served, but nothing alcoholic. [7]
The "Cheesy Western", a cheeseburger with fried egg, pickles, and sweet relish, was identified as one of the 20 best burgers in Virginia by Thrillist in 2015. [8]
Many famous individuals have visited Texas Tavern, including Harry Connick, Jr., Mike Pence, Kevin Costner, and many others. [9] Pence was heckled at Texas Tavern, creating media buzz about his likability. [10] [ better source needed ] The restaurant has long been a fixture in the neighborhood, known for its regular customer base. [6]
The restaurant is sometimes referred to as "Roanoke's Millionaires Club". [11] It features a sign boasting, "We seat 1,000 people, 10 at a time." [4] [5]
A hamburger or simply burger is a food consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. Hamburgers are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, or chilis; condiments such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, relish, or a "special sauce", often a variation of Thousand Island dressing; and are frequently placed on sesame seed buns. A hamburger patty topped with cheese is called a cheeseburger.
Roanoke is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is located in Southwest Virginia along the Roanoke River, in the Blue Ridge range of the greater Appalachian Mountains. Roanoke is approximately 50 miles (80 km) north of the Virginia–North Carolina border and 250 miles (400 km) southwest of Washington, D.C., along Interstate 81. At the 2020 census, Roanoke's population was 100,011, making it the largest city in Virginia west of the state capital Richmond. It is the primary population center of the Roanoke metropolitan area, which had a population of 315,251 in 2020.
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