Daniel Brannigan/The Community News: A sign post on Ranch House Road in Willow Park broadcasts the coming of Railhead Barbecue. Mr. Jim's Pizza is seen in the background.Final approval likely in January
By Daniel Brannigan
The Community News

The sweet and smoky aromas of barbecue will soon be wafting through the Willow Park and east Parker County air.
Railhead Smokehouse Barbecue Restaurant, already with popular establishments in Fort Worth and Colleyville, plans to open an eatery off Ranch House Road on the south side of Interstate-20 by June 2007.
“Same food; same pit; same recipes, but we’ll do a little bit more,” developer Burton Parnell said, adding that the new restaurant will include steaks, salads and burgers – something the existing Railheads do not currently offer.
Like the Fort Worth and Colleyville locations, this Railhead will be a serve yourself concept. Restaurant patrons will move through a service line, pick up their fare, pay for it at the counter and find a seat or take it with them.
According to drawings obtained from the Willow Park Planning and Zoning Commission, the restaurant will occupy a 1.29-acre site on Ranch House Road between Dollar General and Mr. Jim’s Pizza. For now, a lot between Dollar General and Railhead will remain empty.
The 8,113 square-foot building will hold up to 324 guests. It will have a large covered patio in the front with a fireplace, roll-down overhead doors and TVs. The patio, which can hold up to 68 people, will have a 3,000 square-foot grass play area adjacent to it.
Plans show room for 84 parking spaces.
In addition, the restaurant, which will have a stone exterior, will house a large private banquet room and another covered patio on one side. The restaurant will offer drive-through and catering services.
“We need this in our area; we need a ‘destination place’ if you will, where families can come and enjoy a good meal and have it be kid-friendly – a place where parents can sit outside by the fireplace and watch their children play,” Parnell, who lives in Parker County, said. “I saw the need here.”
Parnell said he’s received nothing but a positive response from everybody he’s spoken to about it.
Willow Park Mayor Brad Johnson for one is looking forward to having Railhead in the city.
“It’s a welcome addition and a sign that things are continuing to grow and prosper in Willow Park; it will fit in well,” Johnson said. “There’s never enough barbecue restaurants and Railhead is absolutely the top of the line. We think it’s going to be very beneficial for us and them.”
Railhead architect Ames Fender said plans should be completed by January and they should receive their building permit from the city around that time.
“If all goes right, construction can start as soon as the replat is approved,” Fender said. “The owner is ready to get going.”
Initial plans were presented to Willow Park Planning and Zoning on Dec. 12. Parnell and Fender will present their final site plan to P&Z on Jan. 9 and will be subject to the commission’s approval.
The council will then consider the matter at its Jan. 16 meeting.
For more on this story, see the Dec. 22 issue of the Community News.