Bailey's Burgers

"Down here everybody wants to eat and drink, so we had that opportunity, and we thought about it, and I talked to my partner, and we snagged it up," Hendricks said.

Hendricks, a former Army cook and sous chef for the Westin Hotel in Tulsa, Okla., has been serving an assortment of burgers, fries and salads for the past four years. On April 2, Bailey's increased its hours of operation from weekends only to Tuesday through Saturday.

Hendricks is no stranger to rigorous hours.

During race weekends last year, it was not unusual for him to get off work as late as 3 a.m. Hendricks said he worked a few late nights in a row last May and was driving near the Painted Horse Pavilion near Buda around noon when he started nodding off. Hendricks said a few seconds was all it took for his car to drift off the road and into a ditch before slamming into a tree. The accident left him with a broken neck and a weeklong hospital stay, but by the end of June he was back at work, neck brace and all.

"I'm up working, and I'm still breathing and walking, so I'm thankful for that," Hendricks said.

During the offseason, when the restaurant was only open on weekends, Hendricks said he could expect to sell about 30 burgers to his "regulars." He estimates that number increases to 100–120 during race weekends.

The restaurant currently is housed in a 15–by–50–foot building, but Hendricks said he has expansion in mind.

"We're looking for a bigger spot, to tell you the truth," Hendricks said. "We've been looking for a truck so we can drive around, go to events and whatnot. I think we could make real good money doing that."

He has plans to introduce a steak night, when diners can get a 12-ounce ribeye steak, potatoes, roll and drink for $20. But for now, Hendricks is serving five different kinds of burgers, three different salads and five kinds of fries with no immediate plans to leave the racetrack.

"We're just hanging in, right here, right now," Hendricks said.

24801 I-35, Kyle, 512-268-0077, www.baileysburgers.com