A popular food establishment in Houston has transformed from a walk-up trailer arrangement to a sit-down restaurant.
Instead of “Twirlee Q,” Tony Bieller’s barbecue business is now called “TQ’s House of BBQ” and is located at U.S. 63 and West Highway 17, in the space formerly occupied by Subway. Along with Bieller’s barbecue pork, ham, brisket and turkey, the new restaurant offers an expanded menu featuring ½-pound charbroiled specialty burgers, French fries, loaded baked potatoes, salads and several deep-fried selections including appetizers, fish, shrimp and chicken.
“People can expect a nice, cozy dining area,” Bieller said, “and with the menu changes there are a lot of new choices. With the fryers and charbroiler, we can do things now that we just couldn’t do in the trailer. The trailer was a big success, and the spring and fall are great times to serve people out of it, but when winter and summer come along, it’s not ideal.”
TQ’s House of BBQ owner Tony Bieller holds a plate containing a chicken fried chick sandwich and fries.
Customers at TQ’s are seated and waited on by servers. Bieller and his family and other crewmembers began serving customers on Wednesday of last week.
“Here, we can still do the same take-out or to-go stuff,” Bieller said, “but people won’t have to wait in the heat or cold for that. And now they can sit down and have someone wait on them inside, too.
“And the new menu is designed to let people eat things that might not be offered other places in town. There’s a lot on there, and if you’ve tried it all you can just try it again.”
People who patronized Subway will hardly recognize the building’s interior that now features tables with custom-made hickory tops, cedar-covered walls, a metal ceiling and attractive lighting. For the time being, Bieller is using the familiar trailer to smoke and cook meat.
“We’re hoping to have a smoker in the building in the future,” Bieller said.
TQ’s House of Barbecue is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. The phone number is 417-967-5555 and TQ’s can be followed on Facebook.
Bieller also owns the Twirlees Ice Cream trailer on U.S. 63.
“I really want to thank all the people who have supported us as well as they have – and that goes for both the barbecue and ice cream – and giving us the opportunity to do what we’re doing here to make it bigger and better for everybody,” Bieller said. “Without the support from the people of Houston and the surrounding area, this wouldn’t have been possible. But as gracious as everybody is, it has become a reality for us.”
“Without the support from the people of Houston and the surrounding area, this wouldn’t have been possible. But as gracious as everybody is, it has become a reality for us.”
– TONY BIELLER