Wednesday, November 22, 2006

The Historic Pig Stand Restaurant, I'm Glad I Went

That's because they closed this Monday, maybe forever.
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Mrs. Jim and I went to this historic restaurant with grandkids, Megan, Jenna, and Timothy, about twelve years ago. We visited the facility in Beaumont, Texas on the way back from a nice visit with Mema in Louisiana. [link, check it out while the Web site is still in operation. More piggy icons are there as well as these two.]
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The food really wasn't all that good. The kids had wanted to stop at a McDonald's or Burger King, stopping at the Pig Stand was something I had just been wanting to do. Of course I ordered a Pig Sandwich which they were noted for. It is a pork barbecue deal, this one just happened to be tough and not very tasty. The kids agree with me by not finishing theirs.

The original Pig Stand in Dallas reportedly is the first drive-through restaurant, starting a new American concept in take-home dining. The chain also invented the fried onion ring, a yummy chloresteral gob of fried vegetable, as most of you well know.

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Last year they were celebrating their 75th Anniversary. (I know, the Chronicle article says they started in 1921 in Dallas.) Today they are in bankruptcy proceedings.
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The straw that broke the camel's back was when the Texas Comptroller closed them for delinquent state sales tax payments. [link to story in the Houston Chronicle]

Those gnomes actually commandeered the three stores still open--one in Houston and two in San Antonio--and took the entire day's receipts to compensate for those missed payments.

You'd close too if you couldn't keep your income, I wonder if they took those wait staffs' tips too?


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Photos courtesy of the Houston Chronicle. See all eleven at http://www.chron.com/disp/dispcomp2.mpl?cid=4208684 (link).
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This was the second generation building at the Houston Washington Street Pig Stand that closed Monday.
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I like this sign, in the Fifties everyone must have wanted to stop. My 1950 Ford didn't make it there. I know it wanted to go, we just couldn't make it over there.

We could call this the Jim Bunch eating high on the hog!

Or as my Dad would often say, "we haven't eaten so good since the pigs ate my little brother." I don't know where in the world he came up with that.

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Comments:
Hi Jim

What a shame it had to close. I love those interesting old place to eat. Too many chains here for my liking.

Take care xx
 
Howdy Neighbor,

I watched this story on the news, did not know that they kept their wages for the day. How sad!

I went there many moons ago and it was pretty good.

You remember Princess Burger joints? They were kind of like sonic but bigger and better. just curious.
Happy Thanksgiving!
 
hey Jim,
thanks for stopping by,

Is everything alright there?
 
For anybody who doesn't know, Houston has more restaurants per capita than any other larger city. I won't swear that statement is current for this year.

Yes, I remember the Princess Burger places, I didn't go very often.

That was my thought that maybe they kept the wages to help pay the taxes. The news didn't start that.
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Gee whiz, they didn't serve any possum or chittlings?? Haha!!

Too bad they closed. But that is what happened to most of the older places and now we have all the chains.

Happy Thanksgiving Jim!! Try not to "pig out." teehee
 
Pig Stand. That's a new one to me.
Thanks for broadening my horizons.
 

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