Monument Cafe to Take Over Classic Texas Diner

Georgetown’s Monument Cafe will take over The Stagecoach Inn Hotel in Salado this fall, according to recent reporting.

“We want to honor the history of the Stagecoach and serve people some of the same dishes they enjoy at the Monument,” cafe owner Rusty Winkstern said this week.

“From 1943 into the 1980s, at the height of the roadside Americana era, the Stagecoach was listed in national highway travel guides for owners Dion and Ruth Van Bibber’s steaks, fried chicken, chicken-fried steak, banana fritters, hush puppies and fudge pecan pie,” states the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

“Since the family sold it in 2000, the hotel and restaurant have suffered through ownership changes, I-35 construction, more ownership changes and the pandemic.”

“The Stagecoach is known for hospitality,” Winkstern said. “They knew everyone by name.”

“It was the hot spot to hit on the way to or from anywhere in Texas.”

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