Willie's Place was a
truck stop
A truck stop (known as a service station in the United Kingdom, a travel center by major chains in the United States and a roadhouse in rural Australia) is a commercial facility which provides refueling, rest (parking), and often ready-made f ...
and
biodiesel
Biodiesel is a renewable biofuel, a form of diesel fuel, derived from biological sources like vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled greases, and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made from fats.
The roots of bi ...
processing plant located in
Carl's Corner, Texas that was opened in 2005 and named after
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...
.
The facility was originally built circa 1980 by Carl Cornelius and named Carl's Corner.
Willie's Place was closed for a time and then reopened in 2008 after a significant expansion.
Willie's Place had a gas station that was the first to sell
Willie Nelson Biodiesel brand biodiesel, a restaurant that specialized in
Southern cuisine
The cuisine of the Southern United States encompasses diverse food traditions of several subregions, including cuisine of Southeastern Native American tribes, Tidewater, Appalachian, Ozarks, Lowcountry, Cajun, Creole, African American cuisi ...
, a convenience store and a 750-seat concert theater for performances.
The theater had a bar and a dance floor, and various touring country western bands would perform there.
Willie Nelson also occasionally visited the site, and occasionally performed.
The establishment also had a "display of rare country music memorabilia", along with Willie Nelson memorabilia.
Willie's Place had about 80 employees.
Biodiesel processing plant
The processing plant at Willie's Place processed over two million gallons of biodiesel annually.
Closure
Willie's Place closed in 2011 after a
loan default occurred, which led to
foreclosure
Foreclosure is a legal process in which a lender attempts to recover the balance of a loan from a borrower who has Default (finance), stopped making payments to the lender by forcing the sale of the asset used as the Collateral (finance), coll ...
and
bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...
.
It was later converted into a
Petro truck stop.
See also
*
List of Southern restaurants
Following is a list of notable restaurants known for serving cuisine of the Southern United States:
* Acadia: A New Orleans Bistro, Portland, Oregon, U.S.
* Arnold's Country Kitchen, Nashville, Tennessee
* Baes Fried Chicken, Portland, Oregon ...
*
Willie's Roadhouse
Willie's Roadhouse (formerly Willie's Place) is a channel on the Sirius XM Radio that specializes in playing traditional country music and older country hit songs from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. It is available on channel 61 (previously 59) and ...
– a channel on the
Sirius XM Radio
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merger ...
that specializes in playing traditional
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
, as well as some older country hit songs
References
External links
{{Willie Nelson, state=collapsed
Rest areas in the United States
Former truck stops
Willie Nelson
Defunct Southern restaurants
Defunct restaurants in Texas