From the time they married in 1991, Geoff and Sharon Beverly always talked about opening up their own restaurant one day.

Now, the couple is approaching their 10th anniversary of operating Y’all’s Down Home Cafe.

The backstory

Prior to its move to Round Rock, Y’all’s served the residents of Manor, where for two years the couple whipped up dishes made from family recipes. The business, though, quickly outgrew its space, as it saw lines of people wrapping around the building.

The pair found success by sticking to what they knew. Geoff—from Lake Arthur, Louisiana—and Sharon—from Lockhart—each took a little from their upbringing to turn Y’all’s into what it is today.


“He did a lot of cooking with his mom in the kitchen, and I did a lot of cooking with my grandmother, my mom and sometimes with my dad in the kitchen,” Sharon said. “Everything we both do and know is from scratch and from the kitchen. These are home recipes that can’t be altered.”

What’s on the menu?

A combination of southern comfort food and Cajun cuisine makes up the Y’all’s menu.

For instance, the fried catfish atchafalaya comes with two catfish fillets topped with crawfish étouffée over a bed of rice. Customers will also find dishes like meat loaf, fried shrimp, chicken-fried steak, catfish po-boys and burgers. Geoff’s favorite dish is the fried pork chop, while Sharon said her No.1 is the crawfish casserole.


On the side, patrons can order red beans and rice, black-eyed peas, collard greens, fried corn on the cob, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, home fries and more.

The couple said they could have settled for a different style of food—something easier to prepare that doesn’t require as much prep work. But then it might not have that family atmosphere they were hoping to create, Sharon said.

“I didn’t want a restaurant that felt really stale. From the customers to the employees, I wanted everybody to feel like family. ... It takes time, it’s hard work and you have to love what you’re doing. If you love what you’re doing in the kitchen, it is going to show in your food and in your preparations,” she said.