Ate there yesterday afternoon. It was terrific. I had the rib plate, tater salad and pinto beans. Wife had the pork loin. I don’t know what else she got since I was busy eating, but she said it was great. That’s good BBQ.

The evening before, we each had the Chicken Fried steak at the Gage Hotel restaurant. Excellent and huge. A particularly good thick piece of meat.

And a word of warning: the White Buffalo Bar’s margaritas (over ice) weren’t really that good, and they were $18 each. I thought that was a bit much.

Good to be home and in my favorite chair.

Eat at Lum's probably once a week. 'Very glad they got rid of the loser teenagers they tried for a short while. The dad and the boys can only be there so much, I get that. But these dweebs were obviously gamers that didn't give a crap about customers.

I quit going to the Gage when they put astro-turf in the courtyard of their cabins. Sand would have been better. I stayed there when they first restored the main hotel, and the bathroom was down the hall...con esposa numero uno.

'Glad you're home and comfortable.

Well if I am ever in that area will give it a go.

Lum's is south of the Interstate, on the west side? I think I know the spot, have driven past. Better than Cooper's?

I can’t say it’s better than Cooper’s, since I haven’t tried Cooper’s. All I can say for sure is that I really liked Lum’s ribs and the wife loved the Pork. I’d eat there again without hesitation.

If your thinking coopers just go next door to the chevron, buy a slim Jim or a jacks link and walk across the parking lot and eat it in front of the BBQ pit. Same taste and flavor and 1/8th the cost


The Coopers in Llano or Mason is excellent. Junction not so much

This. And I was surprised how right you are when I ate there. Once.

Coopers in Junction is bad.

I eat at Lum's frequently, especially during deer season. Good BBQ & I agree fixing the teenage staff problem was a BIG plus.

It's been some time since I ate at Junction's Coopers, but I didn't think it was bad. The owner told me once that they were not affiliated with the other Coopers'. Don't know how that works? I agree Llano & Mason Coopers are really good. I think the Mason Coopers was/is an early independent BBQ joint. I heard that the Opie's owner in Spicewood was once the head cook at the Llano Coopers until he broke off & started his own joint. He got into some legal hassles when the Llano Coopers sued him for ripping off their format (walk-up, pick what you want off the pit & pass it down the line). That didn't stand-up in court. Not sure what Coopers is - franchise or just independents(?)

Well I'll try it next time I'm driving through.

The junction coopers is not affiliated with the other coopers. I also want to say I think the one in New Braunfels isn’t affiliated with the Llano or Mason stores either

Almost every time I pass thru Junction in route to/from Ozona, I stop by both Cooper's & Lum's and I have been surprised with both on the lack of consistency. I have had really good BBQ and some very sub par BBQ from both places. I typically will get a pound or so of moist brisket and sausage and bread from both and that will last me a few days while outside Ozona. If Inman's in Llano is open, I prefer to pick up there instead of either of the places in Junction

I will try Lums next time in Junction. Been twice to the Coopers there and I wont be going back for strike three

Wifey and I ate at Lum's frequently when we lived there 1979-80. We still do every time we are in Junction. It's always been great. We tried Cooper's once a few years ago. The food was mediocre and overpriced. A waitress was emptying trash cans near where we were eating. She took the lid off of one and set it dirty side down on a table where customers would be eating. No mas Cooper's. Viva Lum's.

Damn that’s funny…and spot on. Haven’t tried Lum’s since the remodel. Usually find myself at Junction Burger, Milky Way or occasionally Issac’s if I’m in the mood for a mediocre “salad bar”.

Do not miss this info, gents.

Oh, that salad bar. My wife and son walked in there the last time. She took one look at the salad bar and said "We're leaving." None of us have been back since. Hell, the back corner of the building is completely open to the elements. Big ol' section of plywood is just gone. Who knows how many pigeons, bats, and/or owls roost in there. I think it's over the kitchen. Typical Junction.

Llano, New Barnflies, Fort Worth, College Station, Austin and Katy area all affiliated and held together by Wooten.

I'll be making a "heritage trip" to Junction to pay respects at my great-great grandfather's grave, and will give Lum's a try.

I just saw this post. Who was your GGGrandfather? I grew up in Junction. Went off to college in 1990 and never lived there again, but I still have a lot of relatives there. Some above ground, more below.

I haven't been there in maybe 10 years or more. The last time I was there it was looking kind of rundown. I remember enjoying Lums bbq. It was pretty much the only one in town for most of my time there.

Rick, my gg grandfather died very shortly after the family had moved from Buffalo Gap to Kimble County, in 1883. The following year, gg grandma gathered up the surviving seven kids (except my own g-grandmother, who married in Buffalo Gap in 1880) and they all moved to La Luz, New Mexico. The two eldest boys got there first with the horses and cattle, in August, having left graffiti at Hueco Tanks, the rascals. So my Waylands weren't in Kimble County for very long. Thank you for asking.

Cool story. Thanks for sharing.