Do you know about The Old Gin restaurant in Wortham, Texas?
Though they opened back in April of 2022, it amazes me that after two years in business there are still many people in the Fairfield and Teague areas who have not heard of it, so let me tell you about this great family-friendly restaurant and why you should give it a shot.
Owners Tim and Dee Rainey, roofers by trade, and fairly new residents of Wortham, decided that they wanted to see their neat little town grow and prosper, so they contacted Wortham Mayor, Pellie Goolsby, to see what they could do to get the ball rolling.
Pellie told them about the old cotton gin in town that had been in operation until the 1950s, was later used as a feed store and a tractor repair shop, but that it had been vacant for many years. She explained to them that if money wasn’t an issue, she would love to have that property, utilizing its buildings, and the Raineys said, “Let’s do it!”
However, it wasn’t that easy. The previous owner was a tough cookie to break. Convincing him that they would NOT be tearing down the buildings but using them for the business was not an easy task, yet eventually he relented and sold the property.
With no experience in restaurateurial operations, the Raineys jumped in with both feet, taking advice from anyone with prior experience in the restaurant business.
REPRESENTING THE OLD GIN are (front to back, left to right) Case Samford – Server, Caleb Betts, Bar Tender, Luis Canales – Cook, Pam Jones – Bar Manager, Rylee Goolsby – Bar Tender, Josey Richardson – Bar Tender, Ben Smith – Kitchen Manager, Pellie Goolsby – General Manager, Lanie Goolsby – Server, and Kenlie Chasteen – Server.
They wanted to provide a locally owned, family-friendly restaurant to give locals something to do. “We wanted to offer a place where everyone in the family can come together, find something they like, and spend time with one another,” says Pellie, who serves as General Manager of the restaurant in addition to being Wortham’s Mayor. “We also wanted to preserve the history of this property and are very proud that we have been able to do so.”
The Old Gin offers a wide range of food items on their menu that can please all tastes and were recently recognized by the Best of the Best in Freestone County as Best Restaurant, Best Salad, Best Chicken Fried Steak, and Best Server – Breckyn Waggoner.
They have an outside play area for the children, patio, bar, and plenty of seating indoors. There is even live music on most weekends, featuring local and not so local artists.
Management staff includes, of course, General Manager Pellie Goolsby, Bar Manager Pam Jones, Kitchen Manager Ben Smith, and Assistant Restaurant Manager Jessica Huff.
“We are very proud and appreciative of the way the community has supported us and that we have a place people love to come to,” says Pellie. “We have customers from Freestone, Limestone, Navarro, and Leon counties, as well as those who travel through the area that stop by and then tell others about us. We look forward to continuing serving our customers and to seeing what the future holds.”
And if all of this wasn’t enough, they have even bigger plans in the works for expansion.
Coming very soon, will be a wood-fired pizza restaurant to be located across the street in the building formerly housing the Sugar Shack. They are currently in the process of building out the kitchen and hiring and training staff.
Within the next year or so, the old silo will be opened as a whiskey and cigar bar for connoisseurs to come relax and enjoy the finer things in life.
Also, in the next year they will open the other building, across the breezeway from the restaurant, as an events center for customers to host parties, showers, meetings, and the like.
But wait! There’s more!
The Raineys not only have all of these great things going already, they are also in the process of restoring some buildings in the downtown area, bringing them back into shape so they may be utilized by other businesses.
They are repairing the roof on City Hall, as well as restoring the building next to it and the buildings on either side of the post office.
“The Raineys are major contributors for helping to bring the town back,” explains Pellie. “We have to invest back into our community to see it flourish. The energy that these projects have brought to Wortham has been exciting and seems to have gotten things moving.”
The Old Gin is located at 404 North 3rd Street in Wortham, Texas. They can be reached by calling 254-255-4300.
Hours of operation are Monday & Tuesday – Closed, Wednesday, Thursday, & Sunday – 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Friday & Saturday – 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Be sure to visit them on their website at www.theoldgin.net or on Facebook to keep up with new menu items, entertainment schedules, and grand openings for the pizza shop, whiskey and cigar bar, and event center.
If you haven’t already, go check them out!!
(Photos by Nicole Schaefer)
