The six-month wait for Cotton Patch Cafe is over.
Construction on the cafe started in early January and doors opened on Joe Harvey Boulevard around 11 a.m. Tuesday morning, where a pack of customers dined and voiced their excitement for the new eatery. The Texas-based restaurant chain serves a variety of Southern staples like chicken fried steak, catfish, and meatloaf, in addition to other entrees, appetizers and Dr. Pepper cake. Hobbs marks the second New Mexico location for Cotton Patch Cafe. It bustled with activity on opening day as employees tended to customers, welcomed people at the door and served countless plates and baskets of food.
“I’ve been to just about every Cotton Patch that I live close to and they have by far the best service, food and prices,” Hobbs resident Lisa Roll said Tuesday.
Roll was one of several people waiting in the to-go area and ordered chicken fried steak and chicken fried chicken. She explained she used to live in Burleson, Texas, which has a Cotton Patch, and Roll noted that if she was given a “choice of any restaurant,” Cotton Patch is where she’d go.
By the front door, local marketing manager Heather Adams stood near a table of eClub signups. Adams said Cotton Patch is doing a “huge eClub push” around the opening.
“We’re going to be giving thousands of dollars away in gift cards for anyone that joins our eClub,” she said. “Free appetizer for signing up. Free dessert on your birthday. A free meal after you’ve been a member for a year. Kind of just our way to stay in touch with the community.”
Adams also said people had been waiting in line.
“We just opened our doors and let me tell you, we had a line of about 25-30 people waiting and everything is going so well,” she said. “The people of Hobbs have been so friendly to us.”
Adams said Cotton Patch takes pride in its southern hospitality, which service manager Erica Viera echoed, saying the restaurant is family oriented.
“It’s going fantastic,” she said on the opening. “We have a really strong staff behind us. Really positive, enthusiastic and we’re super excited to be here.”
In the dining room, Mickey and Hershel Baugh were just finishing up and gathering their food boxes when Mickey commented, “everything is very good,” while Hershel said he’s eaten at the Lubbock location and praised the meatloaf and fried green tomatoes. At another table, Hobbsans Kitty Pearson and Carolyn Johnson were dining on an appetizer of fried mushrooms.
“I couldn’t wait,” Pearson said. “I was the first one in.”
Johnson suggested Cotton Patch should register with the TuYu Delivery in Hobbs, while Pearson said she “loves” the restaurant and goes in Lubbock.
People may visit www.cottonpatch.com or call 575-492-0073 for more information. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. It’s located at 901 West Joe Harvey, next to Walgreens pharmacy.
