From Amarillo, Plainview, and Lubbock, to Laredo, Nacadoghes, Bryan/College Station to El Paso, many businesses have come out of Texas. The businesses people remember are the ones where they made memories.  Most of those are restaurants.

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Texas has had its share of beloved restaurants

Just look at Pancho's, it got its start in Texas, and the nostalgia is real with this particular restaurant.  When we originally wrote about Pancho's the response was unreal.  However, we've reminisced about Panchos, it's time to remember another nostalgic restaurant that has only a few locations still open in Texas.

The Kettle

Google
Google
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Yes, this den of late-night pancakes and coffee for those looking to soak up the evening libations before they go home.

Russells High Cotton LLC via eBay
Russells High Cotton LLC via eBay
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The Kettle was the place to get breakfast 24 hours a day and lunch or dinner.   The Kettle was similar to Denny's and IHOP, but there was something else about The Kettle. Something that made it special

Lighthouse Vintage of Arkansas via eBay
Lighthouse Vintage of Arkansas via eBay
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The Kettle was first opened in Nacogdoches, Texas in 1968.  Harry and Danny Chambers were the ones who opened the restaurant.  At its height, you could find Kettle restaurants in over 265 locations.  In 1995 they sold the restaurants to private equity investors Stephen Portis and Eric Porten.

What was once a thriving business and restaurant, has now dropped to a handful of Kettle restaurants still in existence.  The two remaining in Texas are in Bryan, Texas, and Laredo, Texas.  The one that was in College Station closed in 2022 after 40 years of business.

The Kettle in Lardeo, Tx Photo: Google
The Kettle in Lardeo, Tx Photo: Google
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The skeleton of the Kettle which was once a giant body is trying to hold on for dear life.  We're not ready for it to go away, because of the memories of our youth.

Wouldn't it be great to bring back the Kettle so the next generation can sit in a booth, eat the cheapest thing on the menu, vape, and enjoy time with friends for hours until the sun comes up?   Or the next generation of grandparents can meet their friends there for coffee, ok maybe this won't happen because of the massive amounts of just coffee shops that exist.

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