Near the entrance to the main dining room is the display containing the world-famous 72-ounce steak and its accompanying dinner roll, salad, three shrimp, and baked potato. All those items must be eaten within an hour to get the meal free. 

The Big Breakfast Buffet is served from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. daily. Motel guests receive a voucher for $2.00 off the breakfast buffet when they check in.

Be sure to watch the website and the newspaper for information about the Easter and Mother's Day buffets!

Don't forget that we do catering and group meals, both at the Big Texan and at other locations. For help in planning an event, call (806)372-6000 ext. 302 or e-mail  sales@bigtexan.com.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY FROM THE BIG TEXAN

Yes, there is still a free birthday meal. We are open 365 days a year, so it does have to be claimed on your birthday between 10:00 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. and you must have some type of ID showing that it is your birthday. There is a choice of prime rib or chicken-fried steak, two sides, and a non-alcoholic drink. Just tell your server and it will be taken care of! Parents, this is your chance to embarrass your teenager by having the Big Texan musicians sing to him or her! Give that kid reason not to want to be seen with you!

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WOULDN’T A LIMO RIDE BE A TREAT

Raise your hand if you’ve heard about the complimentary pick-up by the limousine with the steer horns on the front offered by the Big Texan. Ha! I thought so! Raise your other hand and wave both hands in the air if you think that would be a fun way to come to the Big Texan. Ha! I thought so!

Each limo will hold seven guests in addition to the driver. Texas state law requires that a child under the age of eight years must use a booster seat when riding in a car. Guests with children in that age group must provide a booster seat for each child, or a car seat if the child is under four years of age. The driver can not transport the child without it.

We pick up at local hotels, motels, RV parks, campgrounds, and travel centers. We are happy to pick you up or drop you off at the airport if your flight time falls within the time frame of our limo service. Our local guests can arrange for a pick up at Cavender’s at 7920 I-40 West (near Coulter, across from Westgate Mall) or at the Starbucks at I-40 and Grand.

You can call (806)372-6000 ext. 304 to set up your limo ride ahead of time or call that evening and the dispatcher will work you in. If you have more than ten people, making arrangements in advance is definitely a good idea.

By the way, our limos only bring people to the Big Texan from our regular pick up points  and return them to those same places. The drivers can't take you to shop or do errands. We also are not licensed to hire out the limos.

In 2011 Patty Ramirez was brought aboard as the new motel manager. She and Holly Latimer, assistant manager and head desk clerk, have been hard at work upgrading the rooms and streamlining the operation of the office. Each room now has a flat-screen television and a blow dryer. We have begun installing mini refrigerators in the rooms and redecorating. I’m sure those two and their staff have more changes in mind! They also have the decorating expertise of Tina Lee, wife of co-owner Bobby Lee, to call on.

Motel business has increased every year, so be sure to plan ahead and make a reservation, especially for spring break or the summer vacation season. You can make a reservation at (806)372-5000, (800)657-7177 (toll-free) or at bigtexan.com.

The Texas-shaped pool is an outdoor pool, so it is open from May through September.

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WHAT IF I THINK I LEFT SOMETHING AT THE BIG TEXAN?

Everybody knows that feeling of having a great time at a place you stopped at on a trip, then getting down the road and realizing you left something behind.

If you think you left something anywhere on  Big Texan property or in one of the limos, please call the motel line at (806)372-5000. (If you happened to dial (806)372-6000, you will want to select ext. 300.) Lost and found items are turned over to the motel office. If an item hasn’t been received there yet, the desk clerk will know how to help you. It is also the only line that is answered by a live person 24/7 and you will want that. In the unlikely event that there is no answer, please give it a couple of minutes and just try again. Everyone has to step away for a minute now and then! If we have your item and you can’t come back for it, the desk clerk can arrange to have it sent to you.

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Interesting facts about beef you may not know:

There are more than 250 breeds of cattle worldwide, with over 60 of them being present in the United States. However, fewer than 20 of these breeds are utilized for commercial beef production.

The Hereford, considered the dominant breed in Texas, even has a town in the Panhandle named after it. Herefords were brought to this country from the Herefordshire area of England in 1817 and were introduced to the Texas Panhandle in 1883 by Charles Goodnight of the JA Ranch.

The Hereford is known for its grazing ability and is able to thrive in very harsh climates. An added bonus is that many of the cows live and produce calves beyond the age of 15 years. Herefords are dark red with a white face, crest, dewlap and underline. Hereford High School calls its athletic teams the Whitefaces in keeping with the name of the town.

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Some Beef Cattle Terms for the Tenderfoot:

1. •Bull - A male capable of reproduction.
   

2. •Cow - A mature female that has had a calf.
   

3. •Calf - A male or female less than one year of age.
   

4. •Steer - A male that has been castrated before maturity, specially raised for beef.
   

5. •Heifer - A young female over one year old that has not had a calf.

The Big Texan Gift Shop is to the left just as you enter the restaurant. It is open from

around 8:30 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. daily. Their phone number is (806)372-1000.

The gift shop is packed with so many eye-catching things – jewelry, tee shirts, neat kitchen items, fun foods to try, and Texas souvenirs to take home. That's just a few things!

Whenever I need to put together a gift basket to represent Texas or Amarillo, I always find items here in the gift shop that I don’t find anywhere else.

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The Big Texan began pouring several flavors of beer handcrafted right here at the Big Texan in the fall of 2011. The newest flavor is the Rattlesnake Brew. Now that's truly beer with a bite!

We recently received the first edition of growlers with the Big Texan logo – a thousand

of them! The growlers are 64-ounce jugs which can be filled with your choice of Big Texan brew.

Mary Fahey, manager of our full-service bar, is very pleased to have added wines from the Cap*Rock Winery in Lubbock to our wine list.

The Beer Garden area at the back of the restaurant, past the bar and the R.J. Lee Room, will be open from May through September.

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BIG TEXAN POKER IS BACK!

Registration begins at 6:30 p.m. each Wednesday and beginners are welcome. Play begins at 7:00 p.m. and there is full bar service. We also offer a special menu for poker players on game nights. Naturally, players are always welcome to order from the regular menu.

HAPPY TRAILS

If you have not been to the Big Texan, we would love to meet you. If you have been here, we would love to see you again. That includes tour buses and all kinds of groups. Come on down! We're ready! 

If you'd like to see more of Cowboy Up!, the news from around the ranch (the Big Texan Steak Ranch, that is), just sign up for it on the website and we'll e-mail each issue as it is ready.