SCOTT HELMER OPENS BIG TEXAN STEAK RANCH BEER GARDEN
Scott Helmer on stage at Big Texan Steak Ranch
Beer inspired the latest business move by one of Amarillo’s best-known attractions.
After tasting success with the Big Texan Brewery, brothers Danny and Bobby Lee opted to convert unused former Palace space at the Big Texan Steak Ranch into a beer garden.
I can’t say whether beer actually was consumed at the exact moment lightning struck. But I can tell you that, a couple of weeks ago, the garden already had a comfortable feel.
The space carries the Big Texan’s Old West vibe into the semi-open air. One “room” of the covered porch contains tall stools surrounding round iron tables specially crafted to encircle the roof’s wooden support posts. Sunblock shades filter the west’s setting sun. Another room features porch swings and star-shaped tin lights.
The carousel grill the steakhouse used for its gig cooking dinners for the musical drama “Texas” in Palo Duro Canyon also found a home there.
Several walls boast murals or large vintage Big Texan images suitable for photo backgrounds. Other photo-op props occupying the space, include a red wooden stagecoach people can climb into to say, “Cheese!”
The Lees did a gradual rollout of the garden, so they could test customer reactions and make adjustments along the way. Musician Scott Helmer played the plank stage last week.
