W.C. and Rosemary Hinze owned a little Dairy Freeze in Wharton, TX.  When farming was no longer profitable, they decided to put up a portable building on the property and sell BBQ on weekends.  W.C. loved barbequing for his family, including 7 children, every weekend.  There was a line out the door from the first day it opened, and they sold out of meat every day.  Back then they offered only brisket, sausage, chicken, ribs, and three side orders (potato salad, pinto beans, and slaw).

When the U.S. Hwy 59 bypass around Wharton was being developed, a local banker talked the Hinzes into putting another portable building on an acre-and-a-half plot off this new road.  It was a slow start, but the business boomed as word got around (thanks to truck drivers and CB radios!) how great were the authentic Texas BBQ, homemade sides, and pies baked from scratch.