Allen's Fried Chicken

​Road Trip Dining in Sweetwater, TX
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When traveling by car, Don and I are almost always game for a food adventure. 

Even when the sign looks a little neglected!

​​Big Sign  Little House
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If we'd just driven into town and spotted the sign, we would have driven on by. It didn't look like a restaurant that could possibly serve a mount-watering lunch.

But for once, the TripAdvisor reviews empowered me. There wasn't a bad comment and we were warned about the deceiving appearance. The sign clearly meant... "We're too busy cooking up a storm, to fret over signs!"

​Busy at 11

We pulled into the parking lot around 11 am.

Seeing lots of cars so early, was a good sign.

​Picking the Door
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​We had a pick of doors. I liked the old screen door, but that was for carryouts. 

We headed for the glass door, with prices clearly announced. $11.50 for Adults. That included drink and tax.

​Six Family Tables
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​We opened the door and stepped into the dining room. The place had just opened up, but three of the six tables already had diners.  

A busy server greeted and pointed us towards a table with two men.  I wondered to myself. Where are we supposed to sit?  The table was covered in dishes.

​Making Room
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​But the young woman quickly moved a couple serving dishes. Suddenly two clean plates were revealed beneath the bowls of veggies. 

Luckily the two men looked up from their plates and the ice was broken. They put us right at ease.

Studying the Empty Tables
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​I wanted to be invisible and observe the diners at the other tables. There were quite a few older folks and I'm guessing quite a few who had come alone. 

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Two tables conversed and the other table was quiet, while food was gobbled.
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Our Table Buddies

Our 2 guys laughed and nodded when I asked to take a photo. Then they continued to eat, letting my photo look totally candid. 

It was fun hearing the stories of one, who had grown up not far from Sweetwater. He had been in the FFA Club in high school and came to town for judging. That's when he remembered eating at Allen's. He laughed about the time his friend almost got them kicked out, because the friend picked up the serving bowl of peach cobbler and started eating the whole thing. I asked if Allen's had changed much. "Not at all." He answered with a laugh.

14 Dishes

I was so curious to figure out how everything worked. Most of us just aren't used to the world of family dining... with strangers. I watched as new guests arrived to an empty table. A cart appeared from the open kitchen and fresh food was unloaded. 

I counted 15 different dishes on our table! There were things I wouldn't ordinarily go for, but I ended up trying a little of everything. 

Food!
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​Fried chicken, sweet potatoes, mashed potato salad, sliced buttered potatoes, pea salad, green beans, corn, collard greens, squash, red beans, okra, cole slaw, peach cobbler and rolls... and tea!

The fried chicken was pretty amazing... crispy crust, moist and flavorful meat! The hardest part was trying to pass dishes around our crowded table. It forced us to talk to one another, if we wanted to get to something that wasn't within reach.

​The Big Table
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​The biggest table suddenly vacated, just as a young guy came in looking a bit lost. He was sent to our table and I was pretty excited that suddenly we were the in the know diners, who got to show him the ropes. 

He had been working in the area and someone recommended the place. What a brave young guy, to choose family dining over fast food!

Old Photos
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​Since the diners had left the big table, I took a moment to study the nearby photos on the wall. 

I read some news articles about Mrs. Allen and how she opened her home in 1952. She cooked in the kitchen and served in the front room, using the very table for 12, that had just been vacated.

Billy
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​As I studied a wall photo, a server named Tabitha paused to chat. I asked if the photo was of Mrs. Allen. "Yes. Her grandson and granddaughter are right back there." She pointed to the open kitchen. "Billy runs the place and his sister is cooking the chicken."

Tabitha insisted on calling Billy from the kitchen, to come meet me. He was pretty delightful, teasing Tabitha a bit and posing for a photo. Tabitha said she'd worked at Allen's for 19 years. "I'm not family, but they make me feel like family." When Billy was out of hearing distance, she teased about him, then got serious. "Really, he's the nicest boss ever. I don't know what I'd do, if I had to work somewhere else."

The Table
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​I was feeling pretty lucky that there was a lull that allowed us to chat. I guess locals know to get to Allen's, right when it opens.

Billy was able to share a little about the history and his family. He showed me the old table under the cloth. "It was the only table, 67 years ago." He said he wouldn't think of parting with it. 

One More Pic
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​Before leaving, we got one more photo. I got my turn to pose with Billy, while the kitchen buzzed behind us. The next wave was probably about to hit. Don and I took off with full stomachs and big grins. The whole family dining experience had been better than we'd imagined. 

There was a time, when we would have cringed at the idea of joining locals for lunch at a community table. I'm glad Don is game for these wonderful road trip stops. We couldn't have been happier with our dining adventure!
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