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The
Big Texan Steak Ranch in
Amarillo is
a long known
Route 66
icon.
November, 2005 Kathy Weiser.
This image available for photographic prints
HERE!
When
Route 66
barreled through
Amarillo,
the Big Texan Steak Ranch was one of the most popular restaurants catering to
Mother Road travelers. It first stood along
East
Amarillo
Boulevard when the steakhouse was built in 1960. It all began in 1959,
when Bob Lee went seeking a large steak in the midst of “cow country.” To his surprise,
Amarillo
sported not a single
cowboy steak house, which Lee soon began to
rectify.
A year later, The Big
Texan Steak Ranch opened, claiming to serve the largest steak in
Texas. But simply serving the largest steak wasn’t enough,
Lee soon began promoting a Free
72 ounce Steak Dinner if
customers could eat the whole thing in less than an hour. It
wasn’t long before the promotion gained national attention and travelers
thinking of
Amarillo,
immediately associated it with the Texan Steak Ranch, making the
restaurant a
“must stop” for travelers of the
Mother Road.
When I-40 replaced
Route 66,
the big Texan relocated. Though not technically on the original route, it
continues to be recognized as a
Mother Road
icon.
Read about the
Texas Mother Road
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