From Speak Easy to Gambling Hall to BBQ Heaven

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — On top of the third highest hill in Travis County at 6500 W. Bee Cave Road sits a building that is home to The County Line on the Hill Bar-B-Q restaurant. Long before the owners opened the first County Line there in June 1975, the history of this property—starting with the first building built in 1929—is as spectacular as the restaurant’s 20-mile view overlooking the Barton Creek River Valley, including Cedar Choppers, moonshine, illegal gambling, stag parties with supposedly naked women, a lodge for gambling, dining and drinking), event venue for private parties for UT frats and students, a honky-tonk, an Episcopal Church Sunday school and youth club; and a private home.

Fast forward to 1974 when Bruce Walcutt, Rick Goss and Ed Norton, the original owners of The County Line, rented the building for $150/month. In June 1975, The County Line was formed—and is still owned—by Texans who love Texas; love its heritage and historical buildings; love BBQ; and are committed to running a restaurant based on four principles:

• First: offer the highest quality smoked barbecue – ribs, brisket, sausage and chicken – with traditional sides of cole slaw, potato salad and beans.
• Second: provide these BBQ specialties in generous portions at reasonable prices.
• Next: employ college-age students to offer friendly table service with linens and bar service.
• Finally: feature an authentic location that celebrates the heritage of its surroundings community

Visitors to this County Line will see many remnants still remain, including the 20-mile view, the red cement floor, the moose mirror, the Cedar Crest Lodge stone building and most importantly, The County Line’s legendary BBQ.

To understand County Line’s tremendous success over the past 50 years, just look over checklists about what makes a restaurant successful; it’s like looking at the history of The County Line, as it is about to turn 50 this summer:

A strong restaurant concept? Check.
County Line management team is committed to the four principles listed above that they put in place 50 years ago.

Happy staff members? Check.
The average tenure of the GMs at their six restaurants is 34 years—with three of the six GMs having been there 40 years or more. Besides two present-day owners that have been with County Line since it opened, the top directors in the management team have been there 47, 45 and 41 years respectively. None of the past owners ever left the company; sadly, four of them are deceased.

Treat staff with respect, always. Check.
In County Line President and CEO Skeeter Miller states: “You treat them like family. You let them be a part of the decision making process. Be it anything from a money-saving idea, to a better way to prepare something, to feedback on our customers’ wants and needs. If we did things the way we did them 50 years ago, we would no longer be in business. Our County Line team’s ideas, inventions to save time and labor, and feedback have been the inspiration for changes that sustain us today.”

Repeat customers. Check.
Here is just one example of many: on the Hill there is a couple that comes every week on Monday nights at 6 p.m. They sit at the same table with their favorite waiter, with two scotch on the rocks – one with a straw and one without. They want their dessert to-go, so they can enjoy it at home. They never look at the menu, and they never have to order. The staff calls them by name, and thusly they feel like royalty. Other regulars have plaques dedicating certain tables or chairs to them. Check out these videos taken of repeat customers at County Line on the Hill.

Distinctive atmosphere. Check.
The County Line restaurants in Austin don’t have to try to replicate a historic look—they are historic. County Line on the Hill also has a 20-mile view still unencumbered by the surrounding population. County Line on the Lake’s seven acre facility sits on the shores of Bull Creek, right off Lake Austin where guests can arrive by boat or car. The interior ambience at each restaurant reflects the history surrounding each property, with an array of Central Texas trivia and trappings lining the walls, including a talking deer and moose at the Hill location. History of each location can be found here on County Line website.

Consistent menu. Check.
When you compare the menus from 1975 and 2025, ALL but six of the 1975 items are still featured on County Line menus, including:

• • Large beef ribs slow-smoked over natural green oak
  • Sausage made in the Texas Hill Country by German descendants with exclusive County Line recipe, and then smoked twice over natural hardwoods
  • Rib Eye steak “that’ll send ya’ home cryin'”
  • Traditional BBQ sides of cole slaw, potato salad, baked potatoes and beans
  • Sauteed mushrooms appetizer
  • Homemade bread
  • Homemade ice cream and cheesecake
  • Bloody Marys, Colorado Bulldogs, champagnes, Lone Star beer “and any of your favorite cocktails from our full bar”
  • Iced tea, coffee, milk, Coke & Sprite
  • Same Big Chief tablet cover as the original menu cover. The original menu had hand-drawn and colored illustrations on the inside.

Be a Good Neighbor. Check.
County Line restaurants have a rich legacy of giving. It has won the Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) Restaurant Neighbor Award, as well as a proclamation from the State of Texas on its 30^th anniversary which states “The many celebrities who have visited the County Line include Darrell Royal, Lance Armstrong, Sandra Bullock, Ray Benson and Jessica Simpson. President George W. Bush had County Line brisket delivered to a dinner in Washington D.C.” Here are just a few of the organizations the Austin County Lines partner with: Ronald McDonald House; Black Fret; Meals on Wheels; Cheyanna’s Champions 4 Children; Special Olympics Texas; The Refuge Ranch; The Paramount Theatre; Marbridge; Big Brothers-Big Sisters; Project Safe Place; and March of Dimes. In 2001, The County Line on IH-10 in San Antonio started a free weekly Texas music series benefitting the San Antonio Food Bank. The concerts are free but attendees are asked to donate food items or cash to the Food Bank. Now in its 23^rd year, the County Line was recognized on 2015 by the San Antonio Food Bank for raising enough food to feed over 1 million people since the inception of the music series. The music series has expanded to The County Line locations in Albuquerque and El Paso, benefitting Meals on Wheels and The Child Crisis Center of El Paso, respectively. Skeeter Miller, owner and president of County Line, has a litany of awards, including TRA Hall of Honor, TRA’s Restaurateur of the Year award, State Director–Texas Restaurant Association; former President of the Austin Restaurant Association; Member of TRA’s President’s Council and Political Action committees. He has sat on the Boards of the Austin Hotel, Lodging Association; the Texas Restaurant Association; and the Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation.

The BBQ experience that the founding partners originated in the mid-70s is much the same today (with 50 years of perfecting). Just as it did in 1975, the County Line menu still showcases traditional barbecue fare and Texas comfort foods, prepared with its original barbecue sauces, spices and marinades, served in generous portions:

• beef brisket slow-smoked over natural green oak for 18-24 hours, then hand-trimmed
• baby-back pork ribs basted with County Line’s sauce during the slow cooking process
• large beef ribs slow-smoked over natural green oak
• sausage made in the Texas Hill Country by German descendants with exclusive County Line recipe, and then smoked twice over natural hardwoods
• smoked chicken or smoked, peppered turkey breast in its purest form, with no additives
• smoked prime rib
• “traditional” BBQ sides of cole slaw, potato salad, baked potatoes and beans, as well as appetizers, sandwiches, garlic mashed red skin potatoes and signature salads
• homemade bread and desserts, including homemade ice cream, cheesecake, Kahlua chocolate brownies, fruit cobblers in season, and bread pudding with Jack Daniel’s whiskey sauce
• full bar service, with the recent addition of craft beers and hand-crafted cocktails to longtime favorites such as Margaritas, Bloody Marys, Colorado Bulldogs, wines, Lone Star and Shiner Bock, with Happy Hours on weekdays
• complete children’s menu, with all plates including an entrée, fries, pickles or potato chips, drink and homemade ice cream
• many locations offer individual menu items such as items from the grill including chicken, hamburgers, veggie burgers, rib eye, vegetarian kabobs and salmon
• Gluten-free menus are available at all locations

County Line History in Austin Continues:
County Line on the Lake: After opening its second location in 1977 in El Paso, TX (more on that below), the owners turned their attention back to Austin to another historic location, also inspired by Walcutt’s memories as a child. Known as the “County Line on the Lake,” the second County Line in Austin opened in 1980 on FM 2222 on the shores of Bull Creek, right off Lake Austin. The 7-acre property housed the Bull Creek Lodge and fishing cabins built by Dudley and Rosa Lee Prade in the early 1950s; it served as a pickup point for Bob Myer’s Mountain Men, an organization that would take Austin boys camping for several weeks to places as far away as Canada. (Original County Line owner Bruce Walcutt—now deceased—participated in one of the 1961 trips.) In 1959, a fire destroyed the entire lodge except for the fireplace, which still stands today in the main dining room. The Prades rebuilt The Bull Creek Lodge, adding a larger adjoining building. The Bull Creek Lodge closed in 1973; the building remained vacant except for some short stints as General Sam’s, the Alamo Roadhouse and other music venues until the County Line owners opened its restaurant in 1980.

The County Line owners have kept the building much as the Prades built it, except to add on the lower level and outside decks; completely renovate and modernize the kitchen; and add buildings for special events including weddings, family reunions, etc. The restaurant is decorated in décor fitting of its lake environment and Boy Scout heritage. And just as guests would row over to visit the Prades in the 50s and 60s, many customers travel by boat to visit the County Line. The turtles in Bull Creek are so numerous and healthy that the TSA’s North American Freshwater Turtle Research Group has done research at the restaurant since 2016. The age-old practice of feeding the turtles is still so popular that the managers have turtle food available for the children to feed the snapping turtles that are County Line “regulars.” 

The County Line Legacy: The Hill and The Lake are the first of many equally successful County Line restaurants existing now throughout the Southwest—all adhering to those original four tenets of the original owners. Besides the two Austin locations described above, other County Line-owned locations and their opening dates are:

• The State Line – In 1977, the County Line owners found a historic property on the border of El Paso, TX and the state of New Mexico—and thus the name “The State Line.” Located in a building that originally housed a Spanish tile and custom fountain factory from the 1940s, this Spanish pays homage to the Southwest décor of this location with a spacious courtyard. 
  • The owners opened the adjoining Side Door Liquor Store in 2008 which has the unique situation of having the front door in El Paso, Texas and the side door in the state of New Mexico.
• County Line of Albuquerque – In 1984, the owners ventured out of state to New Mexico to open this location tucked up against the incredible Sandia Mountains, with views of the city lights. Located just two minutes from the Sandia Peak Tram, this beautiful southwestern roadhouse makes diners feel like they’re back on the old Route 66.
• County Line River Walk (San Antonio) – In 1995, this restaurant opened in the basement of building on the banks of the famous San Antonio River and its Riverwalk, with a river side patio and open-air bar. The funky Texas roadhouse atmosphere is befitting this historic area of the city, with the San Antonio River and Riverwalk as its unique views. The County Line River Walk also offers private party barges.
• County Line on I-10 (San Antonio) – Called I-10 because of its location on IH-10 in the “Medical Center” area of San Antonio, this location opened in 1998. Besides its fabulous BBQ, “IH-10” is known for its shaded outside porch and heavily landscaped patio. This location is treasured for starting the popular Free Texas Music series benefitting the San Antonio Food Bank in 2001. The live music series is free; however, all who attend are asked to make a food or monetary donation to the San Antonio Food Bank. In 2015, the County Line was recognized by the San Antonio Food Bank for raising enough food to feed over 1 million people since the inception of the music series. In 2017 alone, it brought in a record-breaking number of donations: $7,822 in cash and 2,386 lbs. of food, which equals 80,609 lbs. of food to feed the hungry in San Antonio area. 
• Air Ribs – This location is—well—everywhere. An online catalog of County Line’s perfectly smoked, cut-it-with-a-fork barbeque can be shipped to all of the contiguous US states. Air Ribs’ Bar-B-Q delicacies include all sorts of combinations of beef and baby back pork ribs; smoked brisket; its signature sausage; legendary Bar-B-Q Sauces; Gift Cards and other trimmings

Who are the partners behind County Line? Partners Ed Norton and Don “Skeeter” Miller have been with the company since its beginning in 1975. Sadly, several of the original partners—Bruce Walcutt, Rocky Goss and Rick Goss—are deceased (as well as partner Randy Goss), but Miller and Norton are still running the business from its corporate headquarters in Austin. “Some barbecue restaurants pride themselves in replicating a grungy atmosphere with dirt on the floor and food served on wax paper,” says Miller, owner and President who also develops new product lines and menu changes. “What we do at County Line is provide top quality BBQ in a cozy setting—somewhere you can sit, relax, and have a great dining experience. That means everything to us.”

SOURCE The County Line Bar-B-Q