Cooper's Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cooper's Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que |
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|---|---|
| Restaurant information | |
| Slogan | "Home of the Big Chop" |
| Established | 1962 |
| Food type | Texas barbecue |
| City | Llano |
| State | Texas |
| Country | United States |
| Website | CoopersBBQ.com |
Cooper's Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que is a famous barbecue restaurant chain from Llano, Texas. It's super well-known for its amazing "Big Chop," which is a really thick pork chop. Many people also know it as the favorite barbecue spot of former U.S. President George W. Bush!
Contents
The Story of Cooper's BBQ
How Cooper's Started
The Cooper family has been making delicious barbecue since the 1950s! George T. Cooper opened his first barbecue spot in Mason, Texas, in 1953. His son, Tommy Cooper, then opened "Cooper's Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que" in Llano in 1962. This became the most famous of all the family's restaurants.
Growing the Business
After Tommy Cooper passed away in 1979, the Llano restaurant was run by Kenneth Laird for a few years. Then, in 1992, Terry Wootan became the new owner. In 2005, Tommy's son, Barry, joined the business. Together with Terry, they helped Cooper's grow a lot! Today, Cooper's Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que has six locations across Texas.
What's on the Menu?
Cooper's serves all sorts of tasty meats. You can find brisket, ribs, sausage, chicken, and even cabrito (goat meat). But the most famous item is definitely "the Big Chop." This is a huge, two-inch-thick pork chop!
They cook their meats in large, open pits. They use fast-burning mesquite wood. This gives the barbecue a lighter, smoky flavor. Cooper's also has a special barbecue sauce. It's made with things like ketchup, vinegar, and drippings from the cooked brisket. You get it on the side to add as much as you like!
Where to Find Cooper's
Cooper's has expanded to several cities in Texas.
- In 2008, they opened a second spot in New Braunfels, Texas.
- Their third location opened in 2010 in the Fort Worth Stockyards. This one is really big, covering 26,000 square feet! It's right next to Billy Bob's Texas, a famous country music venue.
- In January 2016, Cooper's opened its fourth restaurant in downtown Austin, Texas.
- More recently, in October 2019, a fifth location opened in College Station, Texas.
- And in November 2019, the sixth location opened in Katy, Texas.
Awards and Special Mentions
Cooper's Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que has received lots of praise!
- Famous newspapers like The New York Times and The Washington Post have written good reviews.
- In the early 2000s, former U.S. President George W. Bush said it was his favorite barbecue restaurant. This is a big honor that people still talk about!
Recognitions and Rankings
- In 2011, Cooper's was featured in a popular travel guide called 1,000 Places to See in the USA and Canada Before You Die. It was one of only five restaurants from Central Texas chosen!
- In 2015, The Daily Meal website ranked Cooper's #10 for the best barbecue ribs in the United States.
- Food critic Robb Walsh, who wrote the Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook, put Cooper's at #8 on his list of top Texas barbecue spots in 2016.
- In 2017, USA Today readers voted Cooper's as having the "Best BBQ Brisket Sandwich in Texas"!
