A Texas Original: Babe's Chicken Dinner House
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FRISCO (CBSDFW.COM) - Babe's Chicken Dinner House serves up a real Texas experience. You'll find dancing waiters and a kid-friendly environment. "You come in and your kids are going to get to do the hokey pokey. They are going to get to be loud if they want to," said Tiffany Vinyard-Wheeless, who is one of the owners.
Her father, Paul Vinyard, started the restaurant and wanted it to be like a family reunion. "All the families would bring food and the kids would play," Paul Vinyard said.
At the Frisco location, he took us into the kitchen, where we learned one recipe secret about the chicken. "These are breaded and fried only after we get the order in the kitchen. That's what keeps them fresh. If chicken sets up already cooked, it starts getting greasy. We don't want that."
Babe's is Paul's second restaurant venture. "The first one was Bubba's across from SMU. It's more of a fast food restaurant," Paul said. He was hoping for something a little more simple when he started Babe's.
But then something happened. The combination of good food, youthful hard working staff and downhome atmosphere was a huge success. Now, there are nine Babe's restaurants across the Metroplex. "Now, Babe's is more complicated than Bubba's ever was," Paul said.
Paul's kids now help run the business. They refuse to franchise for fear of losing quality, and you will not find a fancy corporate headquarters. They still work out of their home. "Getting into a corporate headquarters can give you the wrong idea about what you do for a living. What we do is in the restaurants. It's about feeding people, and so it's very purposeful that we don't do that," said Joel Vinyard, who is one of the owners of Babe's.
It's a recipe that resonates with customers. "My parents grew up in West Texas and so it's very West Texas food that I grew up on, and so you are getting a piece of Texas when you come," said Tiffany.
A piece of Texas that will have you coming back for more.
