Troy Streuer opened Pocket’s Grille in Smithville in September 1996, bringing American food and service to loyal locals.

“It's a small town,” Streuer said. “I've seen people grow up, and I love seeing people's kids bring their kids in. It makes me feel good when people come back into town and they're like, ‘Oh, you need to go to Pocket’s.’”

After nearly 29 years, the menu still features some familiar favorites, including hot dogs, pizzas, Reubens, and fried pickles with ranch. However, Pocket’s real specialty is the 14 different burgers available for order, including a Jalapeno Cream Cheese Burger and a Frito Bandito Burger.
Troy Streuer opened Pocket’s Grille in 1996, they are celebrating 29 years of business in September. (Katlynn Fox Community Impact)
Troy Streuer opened Pocket’s Grille in 1996. It is celebrating 29 years of business in September. (Katlynn Fox Community Impact)
In a nutshell

Streuer started the restaurant with the support of his family when he was 21 years old. He said the key to his long-term success is “consistent hours, consistent food, consistent service.”

Streuer said he prioritizes being hands-on, including pitching in to help cook, clean and monitor finances.


“A lot of people jump into the restaurant business because they think they're amazing cooks,” Streuer said. “And then honestly, that's probably like 5% of it. Being able to do your finances, manage money, manage employees—that's like 95%.”
The menu also features popular tex-mex dishes like the blackened tilapia tacos served with chips and salsa. (Katlynn Fox Community Impact)
The menu also features popular Tex-Mex dishes, such as the Blackened Tilapia Tacos, which are served with chips and salsa. (Katlynn Fox Community Impact)


Staying local

Streuer said the restaurant almost closed in 1997 due to low profits. Deciding to give it one more month before shutting the doors, the production of the 1998 film Hope Floats ended up bringing the new business and revenue to Pocket’s that it needed to stay open.

“We support the film industry because it supported me,” Streuer said.


Streuer said that Hope Floats brought an influx of customers as production crew and actors moved to Smithville for filming. News of the movie also brought visitors trying to catch a glimpse of the cast, Streuer said.

“People still come to Smithville because of Hope Floats, and it's been like 27 years now,” Streuer said. “It's just an ongoing economic advantage to filming all the things in Smithville.”

Now, as part of the restaurant’s decor, Streuer displays posters and scripts from movies, shows and music videos filmed in Smithville; nearly all of them are signed by production cast and crew.

“I'm very appreciative of the people who choose to come and spend money,” Streuer said. “Obviously, without them, I wouldn't be in business. So, I take customer service very seriously and it's very personal to me.”