Hawkins Grill opens in former pizza place on I-30

Hawkins Grill staff recharge the stations to prepare for the dinner rush.
Hawkins Grill staff recharge the stations to prepare for the dinner rush.

TEXARKANA, Texas - After weeks of preparation, Deborah and Michael Stokes opened their new place, Hawkins Grill, in the space where Larry's Pizza used to be. Hawkins Grill features steaks, pasta, burgers and more, as well as a bar with beer, wine and cocktails. Though the decor and menu may be more adultish than the former pizza place, the Stokes say this dining space is a family place.

"It has been a challenge getting it everything ready," said Deborah Stokes. "So much work goes into just getting a locally owned and operated restaurant up and going. We completely redesigned the interior, with new booths and other seating arrangements. Pennsylvania Amish made our booths. When they first arrived, they even had a barn smell to them."

The grill opened Tuesday and already the public has begun discovering the place, with the lunch and dinner crowds putting the new staff through their paces. Stokes admits, even with their prior restaurant experience, it is a bit of a learning curve to get a handle on operating the grill.

"COVID has upped the difficulty factor," she said. "But we are underway. One of the best parts about this is seeing many of our old Larry's customers make the change with us. Seeing them come through our doors again is just great. Frankly, we missed them."

"I came over here from Walk-Ons," said Randy Valenzuela, their general manager. "I heard about this place and decided to come see for myself. I've been in the restaurant business 20 years, have opened three restaurants myself. When I got here, they were working hard to get it ready, but it was clear they needed some help organizing things. So I came on board to lend a hand."

Valenzuela says that the Stokes have poured their hearts into Hawkins Grill and that's a big part of what drew him to the place.

"I fell in love with what they are doing here and the good people who work here," he said. "I felt that God had given me the experience needed to help out. This is going to be my last restaurant before I retire and this is just the sort of place I want to end things with, helping out how I can."

He said the Stokes have worked very hard to get the restaurant up and running.

"A local, family-owned restaurant is one of the hardest challenges in this businesses," Valenzuela said. "We've only been open three days, but things are going well."

(Hawkins Grill is located at 3402 St. Michaels Drive. Visit them on Facebook or hawkinsgrill.com.)

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