The home-style eatery is a go-to tourist stop, bringing in guests from all over Texas, the United States and beyond—the furthest traveler so far being from England, said co-owners Warren and Jenny Smith.
The Smiths are the third owners of the Texan Cafe, which originally opened in 1996. After several years in the corporate world, Warren Smith said he and Jenny decided to purchase the restaurant in 2018.
At that time, Jenny Smith said, there were many other prospective buyers of the Texan Cafe & Pie Shop. In the end, she said their commitment to keeping the existing staff and staying true to the original recipes made them stand out with the previous owners.
“When you buy a business like this, you’re not going to come in and do a clean sweep and start over,” Warren Smith said. “It’s the staff that makes you successful or not successful.”
An experience at the Texan is all about talking with family and friends over warm food and sweet tea at a checkered tablecloth covered table, Warren Smith said.
A customer favorite is the chicken fried steak, a meal Jenny Smith said even curious non-Southerners have tried and enjoyed. Out of the more than 50 pie flavors the restaurant serves on a rotating basis, the Smiths agree the coconut cream pie is most popular among customers. However, Warren said whatever pie he’s eating is his favorite.
The Texan Cafe & Pie Shop changed its hours at the beginning of July to close weekly on Sundays instead of Mondays.
Jenny Smith said they made the change to allow their staff a day of rest, be it to spend time with their families or to pursue other activities.
“We did not want to be that roadblock to anybody [to] not be able to be with their families, or to go to church, or any of those things,” Warren Smith said. “It just made sense to us.”
Texan Cafe & Pie Shop
207 East St., Hutto
512-846-2885
Hours: Mon.-Thu. 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sun. Closed
www.thetexancafe.com
