Tookie’s Burgers has been a local staple in the Bay Area for decades, and it has gained notoriety through the years for mainstay specialty items as unusual as the restaurant’s made-up name.
Barry Terrell purchased the restaurant after Hurricane Ike in 2008, and he has kept it mostly identical to when it originally opened in 1975.
The burger joint never freezes its meat. Local bakeries make the buns, and almost everything else is made from scratch. Terrell’s staff still uses original recipes from 1975 to create Tookie’s signature meals, such as No. 99, a wine-marinated burger, and the bean burger, which comes topped with refried beans and Fritos.
One thing that has changed is the restaurant’s location.
The Texas Department of Transportation forced Terrell, along with dozens of other business owners, to relocate or close their businesses to make way for the Hwy. 146 widening project that started in February.
Terrell searched for alternative spaces in Seabrook, but he could not resist the perfect spot just down the road in Kemah, and Tookie’s new location opened there in March 2018. While searching, Terrell knew he needed a building with space for a patio, a bigger kitchen and adequate parking.
“This covered them all,” Terrell said.
The building took some work. It was previously a hibachi restaurant, so floors had to be removed and new walls had to be built. The patio will have a new roof in time for the summer.
When the roof and the Hwy. 146 work is done, Terrell will still be at the Kemah location, but he hopes to one day relocate Tookie’s back to Seabrook.
“That’s where it belongs,” he said.
Terrell has had success with other restaurants. He overtook T-Bone Tom’s 20 years ago, and he has since opened Tookie’s Seafood. He and his wife, Melissa, are co-owners of the restaurants.
“A lot of people get into the restaurant business, and they love it,” he said. “I was one of them.”