The house from director Tobe Hooper’s 1974 classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (watch it HERE) – which was moved from the filming location in the ’90s and turned into the Grand Central Cafe and Club Car Bar, which sits on the grounds of the Antlers Hotel in Kingsland, Texas – was recently purchased by new owners. During an interview with Daily Trib, the new owners promised they would “preserve and protect the history and integrity” of both the Grand Central Cafe and the Antlers Hotel. On the cafe’s Facebook page, they even said they would be “going deeper into the world of Mr. Hooper.” And they have quickly proven their dedication to honoring the house’s history. They’ve even gone so far as to rename the restaurant in the house Hooper’s!
Here’s the official announcement: “The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie set located at 1010 King Court in Kingsland, Texas is taking on an updated look and a new name. The once Grand Central Café and Club Car Bar is now HOOPER’S in honor of Tobe Hooper, writer and director of the original TCM.
We are currently very deep into restoring the house, but we have kept the bar open in an effort to employ existing staff. Sandy Jones continues to operate the bar, which is fully functional. Food is being served out of our original Taco Flats airstream and an old smoker that was once used by a barbecue joint in Burnet, Texas. We are all here to serve this community through this very exciting transition. Please be patient with our staff, they are a great bunch.
We will announce a full branding reveal and a timeline for the full reopening soon. See you at Hooper’s!“
The owners also shared a video of the restoration effort. You can watch that at THIS LINK, and you can follow the progress of Hooper’s on their Facebook page.
Directed by Tobe Hooper from a script he wrote with Kim Henkel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has the following synopsis:
When Sally hears that her grandfather’s grave may have been vandalized, she and her paraplegic brother, Franklin, set out with their friends to investigate. After a detour to their family’s old farmhouse, they discover a group of crazed, murderous outcasts living next door. As the group is attacked one by one by the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface, who wears a mask of human skin, the survivors must do everything they can to escape.
The film stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Jim Siedow, Edwin Neal, William Vail, Teri McMinn, Allen Danziger, John Dugan, and Gunnar Hansen.
I fully intend to visit the Texas Chainsaw Massacre house someday, so I think it’s awesome that the new owners are embracing the place’s history so tightly that they have even renamed the restaurant Hooper’s. I’m looking forward to eating a meal at Hooper’s sometime in the future.
What do you think of the restaurant inside the Texas Chainsaw Massacre house being called Hooper’s? Let us know by leaving a comment below.