The Big Texan Steak Ranch is a large steakhouserestaurant and motel located in Amarillo, Texas. It is a roadside attraction known for competitive eating. The restaurant opened in 1960 and was originally located on Route 66. It relocated to its present location on an Interstate 40 frontage road in 1970. The building is painted a bright yellow, with blue trim. A large bull statue advertises their “free” 72 ounce steak eating challenge.
Located on a frontage road alongside Interstate 40, (formerly Route 66), the restaurant has 650 seats, and three-quarters of its customers are tourists. The adjacent motel has 54 rooms and 28 stalls for horses. Beth Duke, who has worked to help revitalize Amarillo’s business district, described the restaurant as “an international icon because it captures the spirit of Texas. It’s big — big promotions, big events, big steaks, and the kind of cowboy heritage that people want to see when they come to Texas.”
The Big Texan is best known for its 72 ounce (4.5 pounds or 2.04 kg) steak. The steak is free to anyone who, in one hour or less, can eat the entire meal, consisting of the steak itself, a bread roll with butter, a baked potato, shrimp cocktail, and a side salad; otherwise, the meal costs $72.00. Those who have successfully consumed the 72 ounce steak challenge have their names recorded and posted at the restaurant. The table at which the steak is eaten is recorded on a 24/7 live stream which can be found on the restaurant’s website. To date, over 10,000 people out of about 90,000 people who attempted this challenge have accomplished this feat.
In addition to the gigantic steak dinner, the restaurant also serves smaller steaks, seafood, sandwiches and quesadillas. Another menu item is Rocky Mountain oysters, which are battered and fried bull testicles.
Located adjacent to the restaurant on The Big Texan Steak Ranch property is the 54-unit Big Texan Motel. The cinder-block construction motel is designed to resemble a main street in an old west town, and features Texas-themed decor and a Texas-shaped pool. In 2004, a 20-stall stable was added behind the main motel building.
