The regular clientele at a historic eatery in McKinney will now have to drive 15 miles north to get their chicken-fried steak fix.
Bill Smith’s Cafe opened the doors of its brand-new location in the quaint downtown area of Van Alstyne on February 5. The establishment is now serving up what its website calls “simple and honest cooking” at 233 E. Jefferson St. in what used to be L.P. Welker Harness and Buggy Shop back in the early 1900s, as previously reported in The Dallas Express.
While some might come for the pie and others for the hashbrowns, a fair number of customers come to chat with its owner, 84-year-old Bill Smith, who can still be spotted working the flat top.
“I love it,” Smith told The Dallas Morning News on opening day. “People shake my hand, tell me they’re happy to be here. It feels like family.”
Established by Smith’s parents, Bill and Jeanette Smith, Bill Smith’s Cafe was a household name in McKinney for 66 years. However, Smith made the decision to close it down in 2022 and focus on his health, as previously reported in The Dallas Express.
His retirement didn’t last for very long, with plans for the new Bill Smith’s Cafe in Van Alstyne announced just a year later. The town’s officials were ecstatic to see the famed establishment added to its downtown offerings, which already boast a few boutiques, a grocery store, and a distillery.
“Bill Smith’s is an icon in North Texas. If you mention Bill Smith’s [around here], people have either been there, their parents have been there, or their grandparents have been there,” explained Van Alstyne City Manager Lane Jones, according to the DMN.
In many ways, Van Alstyne reflects what McKinney was roughly two decades ago before Dallas-Fort Worth saw tremendous growth. Yet the town is also seeing its own population swell, with Jones saying it already went from fewer than 3,000 residents in 2018 to roughly 7,700 in 2024. Combined with the unincorporated areas, he expects the population to reach around 30,000 by 2030.
What’s for sure is that Bill Smith’s Cafe will continue to lure in its share of customers from McKinney.
“I haven’t had a decent biscuit and sausage gravy since he left McKinney,” said Bill Cole, a McKinney resident, who came for opening day, according to the DMN.
