Bobby McGee's Conglomeration At 10822 North Fwy.

[Susan T]

I'm trying to remember the restaurants in the 45/airline/Dyna road are in the 1980's

Moderator edit:

The Original Bobby McGee's Conglomeration was located in the retail center called Deauville Square with an address of 10822 North Freeway (I-45).  This is from an Ebay grand opening advertisement of BMC.

An alternate spelling of the company was: Bobby McGee's Conglomeration of Houston.

[Susan T]

Bobby McGee's

[Firebird65]

6 hours ago, Susan T said:

I'm trying to remember the restaurants in the 45/airline/Dyna road are in the 1980's

 

What would you like to know?

[Specwriter]

I'll let Firebird fill you in. I'm sure his memory and research are much better than mine. I do remember Bobby McGee's was at the end of the strip shopping center closest to Dyna. My then girlfriend was a hostess there and I frequently met her there when her shift was up and drove her home. She did not own a car or have a driver's license at the time. There wasn't an opportunity to "go on a date" after her shift because it was usually too late in the evening and most other places were closed.

[Firebird65]

4 minutes ago, Specwriter said:

I'll let Firebird fill you in. I'm sure his memory and research are much better than mine. I do remember Bobby McGee's was at the end of the strip shopping center closest to Dyna. My then girlfriend was a hostess there and I frequently met her there when her shift was up and drove her home. She did not own a car or have a driver's license at the time. There wasn't an opportunity to "go on a date" after her shift because it was usually too late in the evening and most other places were closed.

 

Thanks for the kind words. Yeah, one of my friends worked summers at the Bobby McGee's Conglomeration (the restaurant's complete name) and the Walgreens in the same Deauville Shopping Center. In each case, he worked very long and late hours.

 

I believe one of the Aldine Roundup yearbooks had an ad for Bobby McGee's. I wonder if I can find it and post it here?

[Elizabeth Brown]

I remember eating there on Friday nights--good food and ambiance.

[MartiMoser]

I googled Bobby McGee's for information. First thing that pops up? HAIF WordPress, 2014. Ha. Discussions on different chains & kind of a where or what are they now. July 2014

[Susan T]

Thanks so much!! I wish there was a site like this for Humble. I'm trying to remember what was in the IHOP building. I know it was JoJo's first then something else before it became IHOP

[Firebird65]

2 hours ago, Susan T said:

Thanks so much!! I wish there was a site like this for Humble. I'm trying to remember what was in the IHOP building. I know it was JoJo's first then something else before it became IHOP

 

Thought you wanted to know about the restaurants on Dyna in the 1980s? I offered to help earlier in the thread.

 

There's never been an IHOP on Dyna.  There's a Denny's down I-45 at Aldine-Bender. 

[MartiMoser]

Susan T have you tried Humblegen.org?

On 6/14/2018 at 2:44 PM, Susan T said:

I'm trying to remember the restaurants in the 45/airline/Dyna road are in the 1980's

 

[Reefmonkey]

I know I went to Bobby McGee's as a little kid in the early 80s (I lived in the Cypresswood subdivision) because I remember the name being bandied around, and I think I remember it, but may be mixing it up with one or two other restaurants. Was it kind of similar to Magic Time Machine (which was on Post Oak North of the Galleria, IIRC), in that the decor was whimsical and eclectic, and the waitstaff dressed up in different costumes?

 

I was pleasantly surprised to see that Magic Time Machines are still in business in San Antonio and Dallas. Looking at the menu, it's pretty pedestrian, especially for the cost, I guess you're paying for atmosphere.

 

I also remember another quixotically themed restaurant, which may also have been in the Galleria area - Flying Tigers?

 

I kind of miss that genre of restaurant, which was a carry-over of the 70s I guess. And even the restaurants with less "character" in the waitstaff but still were decorated with Americana tchotskies, the last of which to survive was the Mason Jar on I-10. Even TGIFridays have all redone their interiors to be slick and get rid of the tchotsky decor, and Bennigan's brief c. 2012 resurrection, while the Monte Cristo tasted the same, the sleek decor just wasn't as warm and inviting as the 80s fern bar atmosphere I grew up with.

[Reefmonkey]

Back to the topic, some other restaurants I remember in the 45-Greenspoint area in the early 80s:

 

Scooby Doo's Pipe Organ Pizza, right across the street from Greenspoint Mall (sorry, but I was born in 1976, so pretty young in the early 80s)

Dalt's inside Greenspoint Mall (kind of Bennigan's-like)

Las Brasas Mexican restaurant, on lower Kuykendahl (south of FM 1960) - in a cool old hacienda-style building, and back then there wasn't that much around it so it felt like a bit of a destination.

Matthia's - or something like that, west of Kuykendahl on 1960, kind of in the Cornerstone area.

[Susan T]

On June 20, 2018 at 9:49 PM, Firebird65 said:

 

Thought you wanted to know about the restaurants on Dyna in the 1980s? I offered to help earlier in the thread.

 

There's never been an IHOP on Dyna.  There's a Denny's down I-45 at Aldine-Bender. 

And I said Thank you! I just said I wished there was one for the Humble area. I've got questions there too!

[Firebird65]

19 hours ago, Reefmonkey said:

I know I went to Bobby McGee's as a little kid in the early 80s (I lived in the Cypresswood subdivision) because I remember the name being bandied around, and I think I remember it, but may be mixing it up with one or two other restaurants. Was it kind of similar to Magic Time Machine (which was on Post Oak North of the Galleria, IIRC), in that the decor was whimsical and eclectic, and the waitstaff dressed up in different costumes?

2

 

Yes, that is correct. It was a whimsical and eclectic kind of place, hence the full name Bobby McGee's Conglomeration. And the waitstaff did dress up in costumes. I never ate at the place, but a friend of mine worked there and I did go in once or twice to wait for him when he needed a ride home from work. He would come out in his costume. IIRC it was kind of a 1920s kind of outfit, but after 34 years now, I stand to be corrected. Obviously, considering the costumes, singing and decor, a lot of the workers were current or former drama, band and choir students and my friend was in all three in high school, so he fit right in.

 

As I never ate there, I don't know what kind of food they served. I'm guessing it was... wait for it... a conglomeration of many different things, trending towards Bennigan's/TGI Friday's fare. Maybe someone who actually ate at the place will someday fill us in.  

[FilioScotia]

My wife and I ate there once when we lived in Fallbrook in the late 70s. I remember it was a gimmicky place with lots of gimmicky decor and waitstaff dressed in really old fashioned style. I don't remember the food being anything special. We didn't go back, if that says anything.

Edited June 28, 2018 by FilioScotia

[jmichael]

Yep , I waited tables at BMC Houston  in 73-75 

[jmichael]

Sure do , I waited tables at BMC Houston  73-75 

[jmichael]

I sure do , I waited tables at Bobby McGees Houston from 1973-75 

[Reefmonkey]

Here are a couple of Bobby McGee menus, probably from one of their Arizona California locations, which lasted a lot longer than in Texas.

 

Here's one that the source I got it from says is from 1987:

https://scholarsarchive.jwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1249&context=menu_collection

 

Can't quite tell what year this one is from, but judging from the design of the menu and the prices, which are slightly higher than the 1987 menu, (along with the lack of email address or website under the corporate address), I'm guessing very early 90s?:

 

https://scholarsarchive.jwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1946&context=mbf_collection

 

FilioScotia is right, food doesn't look to be anything special at all. Interestingly, Bobby McGee's was founded in 1971, and very similar Magic Time Machine was founded in 1973, and Magic Time Machine (which still exists in San Antonio and Dallas), still serves a menu very similar to these two from 30 years ago. A lot of the prices have gone up in that time, but interestingly, shrimp scampi cost $15.99 then and now.

 

https://www.magictimemachine.com/assets/file/magic-time-machine-menu.pdf

 

 

Edited May 29, 2019 by Reefmonkey

[Reefmonkey]

I found some corporation records for Bobby McGee's Conglomeration of Houston, which I assume was a franchisee that operated all the restaurants in Houston. Their office was downtown at 811 Dallas. They were in operation from August 1973 to February 1994.

Edited August 24, 2021 by Reefmonkey

[BRUCEPAINTER]

I took my wife there on our first date in 1976. Great time