Ever wondered why Waco doesn't have more garage-themed restaurants? Yeah, me neither. But it's cool that we have a brand new one with another brand new one on the way.
Jake's Texas Tea House opened last week. Owners Jake and Karen Black told me they wanted a soft opening. Not sure if they were being coy, but I kept hearing buzz about Jake's last week. I suppose playing hard-to-get is always a good idea.
At any rate, that's why I waited until this week to write a blog introducing Jake's. My buddy Brian Patterson is in town, so we grabbed burgers at Jake's. One cool thing about Jake's is that their burgers are called "hubcap burgers" because they're served in hubcaps, or at least plates that look like hubcaps with automobile-company insignia on the bottom.
Brian and I scored the last table available at noon before the restaurant was almost completely full (we also had the option of a couple of empty seats at the bar). Jake told me Wednesday was the first day that the restaurant didn't have a wait at lunchtime.
I mentioned earlier in this blog that we have another garage-themed restaurant on the way. Quaker Steak & Lube has targeted Sept. 12 as its opening day. The Pennsylvania-based chain is opening its first Texas restaurant here in our town. They're promising a festive atmosphere, fantastic wings and such, and lots of beer on tap.
I believe there's a place in town for both Jake's and Quaker Steak & Lube. Jake's is downtown and is going to get a lot of the business lunch crowd. Meanwhile, Quaker Steak & Lube could become party central and is committed to keeping its kitchen open late for the night owls.
