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Texas Walmart Location Hosts Family Restaurant Selling State Fair Foods, Might Launch New Restaurant Chain

By Patrick Frye
Published on: 05:43 PST, Sep 15, 2016

Many Walmart Texas locations, like others, have grown a nasty reputation behind the scenes these past few decades. Ever since founder Sam Walton, who also launched the bulk warehouse store Sam’s Club, passed away in 1992, the retail chain has grown to be the home of poorly dressed shoppers and customer service known for being among the most hated.

It’s been decades since Walmart locations like those in Texas have been known as a family business. This is due to the corporate decisions which have made working conditions almost intolerable up to and including forcing employees to skip Thanksgiving with their families to prepare for Black Friday.

In Plano, however, Walmart has made a deal with a local family of cooks led by Isaac Rousso to open State Fair Treats inside the store. Rousso has won awards for the most creative foods served at the Texas State Fair in two different years, and the corporation approached him to give him the chance to serve his fares year round. With the State Fair only open once a year, this could be the big break which Rousso and his family have been waiting for.

Known for the deep-fried snacks offered every year, the State Fairs across the U.S. have been a showcase for the most creative chefs to show off. Keep it in mind that this isn’t Gordon Ramsay’s level of cooking, but something you might want to try when you go shopping.

The menu for State Fair Treats at the Walmart Texas location in Plano will include 45 items that represent a collection of treats served at the yearly events across the United States. Deep-fried Twinkies might be on the menu along with Rousso’s own cookie fries, smoky bacon margarita, fried Pop-Tarts, and deep-fried Cuban rolls, according to Fox News.

The State Fair chef has big plans if the Texas Walmart location hosting Rousso’s restaurant allows them.

“At the end of the day it’s incredible that you have someone like [Walmart] believing in a small entrepreneurial guy and seeing the potential of what we can bring. The State Fair of Texas for me has been the greatest blessing that’s ever come to my family. And the opportunities that were coming to us because of the State Fair, words can’t describe it.”

If the business goes well, Isaac Rousso and his family plan to make a national chain out of it, possibly competing with Burger King, McDonald’s, and Wendy’s for your lunch money, says Grubb Street. The indoor Walmart snack shop will be opening later this month in Plano, and they might show that the retail chain still cares about family.

There is a lot of work to do for Walmart to repair their image with employees and shoppers, however. Earlier this month, a Florida store was ordered to take down a Coke display due to the alleged insensitivity toward the fallen in the New York City September 11 tragedy. The display was created in an effort to remember the services of firefighters, but a Twitter post gave the Twin Towers display a different focus.

Hopefully, nobody will be offended when the Texas Walmart location unveils State Fair Treats and offers staples of the annual event year-round.

[Featured Image by miker / Shutterstock]

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