STAFF AND PARTNERS OF Lone Star Grill and Cantina in Fairfield stand ready to serve customers. The restaurant opened in mid December and plans to expand its operation by the middle of January. With seating capacity for just over 300 people, if the covered deck is used, and 9,000 square feet of remodeled space, Lone Star Grill and Cantina opened in a big way earlier this month in Fairfield.

The restaurant is located on west U.S. 84 and is open from 5 p.m. until midnight, except Saturday when it stays open until 1 a.m. Lunch operations are slated to start in mid January.

Lone Star is the creation of Paul Kennedy of Buffalo and partners Dave Shannon, who serves as general manager, and Randy McKinney, who serves as head chef.

“We saw the need for a good steakhouse in the area,” Kennedy says.

He notes that he, Shannon and McKinney all have been in the restaurant business before—-this is not their first food service venture.

Menu items include steaks, seafood, some Tex- Mex selections, salads, light entres, burgers and “Southern Eating,” which includes Sunday dinner items such as pork chops and chicken fried steak.

A prime concern for the partners has been to ensure that its offerings are affordable as well as good, a place where a family can eat at a fair price and where parents can go for a “date night.”

“We want the place to be very affordable, even on the high end,” Shannon says.

Everything on the menu at Lone Star is prepared from scratch.

The restaurant started as a 6,000 square foot metal building that housed a hunting and fishing business, but over the past few months the structure was completely gutted and expanded.

On the exterior, walls have been covered with salvaged wood and cedar planks, and the front door was moved around to the side and is protected by a covered porch supported by cedar posts.

The first thing customers see upon entering is a giant-sized trophy belt buckle hanging on a brick wall. The buckle was fashioned out of metal and includes the restaurant logo of its name and the shape of the Lone Star State.

Interior walls have been covered with cedar plank wainscoting and salvaged corrugated tin.

Lighting in the dining room is provided from antler chandeliers and fixtures made of old boots. The tables are capped with tin.

Decorations adorning the walls feature wildlife mounts and framed feed sacks, along with salvaged signs and screen doors.

Tables and chairs in the bar area are custom made with the Lone Star Grill and Cantina logo and there are a dozen flat screen televisions for watching several sporting events at the same time.

“What we wanted to do is make the place feel as comfortable as we could,” Shannon says. “At the same time, all the furniture is really nice.”

Interior renovations also included a state-ofthe art kitchen, glassed-in area for private parties and a brick structure built in the middle to house the restrooms.

“We wanted the place, from start to finish, to feel like Texas,” Shannon says.

Through construction, the partners made an effort to buy from Freestone county suppliers and hire contractors from the area.

“All the stuff we purchased, we tried to buy here in Freestone county. We wanted to keep the money right here,” Kennedy says.

The partners opened for dinner only so that they could ensure that they could serve customers and properly train staff. The restaurant has 80 employees.

“We are trying to make sure we can serve our customers properly,” Kennedy explains.

Lone Star Grill and Cantina also is striving to live up to its motto: “Great Food. Great Service. Great Fun.”