After taking some lazy back roads and what seems like the middle of nowhere (really only about 30-40min out of Austin) you will come across the 2003 remake's gas station. This site is full of history on it's own. Opened in 1891 as a The Richland Saloon. And then in 1951, the general store, saloon, gas station was purchased by Marvin and Marilyn Weiss. Places like this were everything to a farming community. It's the place where you discuss gossip, politics, local events. All over some ice cold beer and tasty BBQ. Or a quick stop to pick up some groceries, some soap, or a blade for that old saw. The central hub, a kind of oasis that was the general store.
2003 film screen shot
Squeaky screen doors and peeling paint. take a step back in time at the Cele Store. Pronounced "seal"
Today the Cele Store is a still a staple of BBQ and community. The pit master Leslie Hamann has been manning the pit for over 59 years. Want to have dinner at the Cele Store? Better call ahead and make a reservation. It's for Leslie to know how much meat to cook. Other notable movies filmed here beside the Texas Chain Saw franchises, were Secondhand Lions and A Perfect World. Knowing Clint Eastwood, Michael Caine , Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner stomped around this area sure made me smile.
2003 film screen shot.
book your reservations and enjoy some real country BBQ
18726 Cameron Rd
Manor, TX 78653512-869-9340
Hours of Operation:
Thursdays- from 6:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. with sausage wraps and baby back ribs
Fridays- lunch serving brisket, sausage & ribs from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
Friday dinner serving brisket, sausage & baby back ribs from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.
Saturday lunch serving brisket, sausage & ribs from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
Screen doors and peeling paint
What a line! Grand Opening of the Gas Station OCT 8th 2016. This was not a wide shot of the line, this was MY place in line!
And for the final destination of the trip, we made it to the Oct 8th Grand Opening of the Gas Station/ We Slaughter BBQ. This site was visited in a earlier blog HERE. As we pulled up to the location a line was stretched out the door and practically to the street. The Gas Station was packed with horror fans and curious on-lookers. I did not arrive in time for the 3pm grand opening time but a couple hours later. I can only imagine what the opening time crowd looked like!
Getting closer to seeing what's inside! The exterior is so close to the movie. metal chairs, coca cola machine and all.
Being in a rural area presented a few challenges for the location I could see. Limited on parking space, people had to park down the road and walk to the store. Small interior also presented the challenge of limiting the amount of people allowed into the store at one time. The store knows it's audience though and a large collection of horror movie memorabilia was available.
Location complete with classic gas pumps
People and employees were friendly and i could see that a lot of merch was being purchased by the big crowd. Unfortunately the line situation and the rural area did not help with the process of checking out. Only one register, with a slow internet connection (limited availability in the area) made for a very tiresome experience. I was hoping to get a plate of BBQ and a beer. Unfortunately the line for food and the line for merch were the same! And no beer from what I could see. No big deal, a cold Coca Cola product was sufficient. But on having beer? In my best Mathew McConaughey impression: "It'd be a lot cooler if you diid.."
at the door! to stay within legal capacity limits, people were allowed in small groups at a time.
Overall the place is cool! I like the dedicated fan base. there is an outdoor area for live music and film screenings. the 2013 version of the film was shown this night. Why not the 1974 version? Legal stuff. That could be a temporary thing though, at least I hope. There is a whole lot of potential in the place. Aside from being able to rent a cabin there, I would love this to be a place to hang out. This was a great opening, it showed that people were interested. Hopefully the register situation gets better and I would've put some kind of menu up for people to know what to pick as far as BBQ and food is concerned. Maybe have a cash only line would've sped thing up as well. I will have to revisit and experience the calmer side to the shop. Maybe improvements will be made, maybe they will have beer. hopefully on a live music night. But yes! A place worth stopping to check out! Horror fans and Texas fans alike!
The man himself! Might not have been a good idea to eat a big plate of brisket and then have to run away from this guy. not like i would've have lasted long anyway!