Backwoods to bring in family fun, fresh food

A whole new family-friendly restaurant with an arcade will soon be opening on the outskirts of Dublin on Hwy. 377.

The eatery is expected to open in mid- to late-September.

Owned by Carol Gibson and her daughter, Amanda Gibson, Ryan Scheid and head hashslinger, Jocelyn Johnson, the restaurant is focusing on fresh, quality dishes while keeping prices reasonable and offering much-needed family fun in the area.

Johnson, who relocated to Texas from Alaska in 2020, is a classically trained Le Cordon Bleu chef, though she prefers not to be called a chef. Having a background withsettingupnewrestaurants as well as working in them, she originally met the team at Rockin’ P bar in Stephenville owned by the Gibsons.

Prior to opening Rockin’ P, Carol Gibson operated Café Trifles in Dublin with a partner and then moved to Stephenville.

The café then closed, and the family opened Rockin’ P bar in downtown Stephenville, which has now been sold.

After closing time at the restaurant where Johnson would work, she and her coworkers would go over to Rockin’ P.

“She brought us cookies one day and they were the best thing I had ever tasted,” Amanda said.

When the Gibsons started with the concept of opening Backwoods, they automatically knew who they wanted as their head hashslinger.

So what can hungry Dubliners expect from the new eatery?

Sunlight will be the first thing patrons may notice as skylights have been cut to allow light into the room.

The restaurant has expanded seating into what was known as the “West Wing” at the former location, boasting a new large space. The arcade, which will operate on quarters, will host myriad games including air hockey, old school Pac-Man, skee ball, crane games, racing games and even whack-amole if one can be located.

There will also be a closed circuit TV connecting from the arcade to the restaurant so parents can monitor their kids and see what is taking place in the arcade.

“Parents can kind of monitor their kids without feeling like they need to go back and forth constantly,” Amanda said. “We are trying to make it very family friendly.”

The menu itself offers many items, some such as salads, which cannot be found elsewhere in Dublin.

“A lot of it is basic American roadside diner food but there is a lot of gourmet knowledge that goes into the sauces and a lot of this is going to be from scratch,” Johnson said.

Unlike the previous establishment – Woody’s – Backwoods will not be offering barbecue.

“We feel like there are already lots of really good barbecue places in the area,” Amanda said.

“This is what I’m excited for. There is not any place near that has a salad menu,” Johnson said. “They told me they wanted to stay midrange, so that was probably the biggest feat for me … making sure I could get product here and make it affordable but still higher end as far as ingredients and quality.”

“We are excited to eat off this menu too,” Amanda said.

The menu will also feature brunch boards on Sunday from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. where patrons can choose from a selection of items such as scrambled eggs and other accoutrements to build a brunch experience.

This can be done for just a single person or for a group. A variety of mimosas are also being created for brunch.

There will be brunch specials including large cinnamon rolls with candied pecans.

They will also still have a full bar and Johnson said she would like to work on mocktails in the future so those who cannot have alcohol can still have a tasty beverage with friends.

Also on the menu are reasonably priced and kids plates with simple items that kids will actually eat such as chicken nuggets.

The menu will also include steak, burgers including builda- burger and sandwiches as well as desserts.

“Once we get everyone trained, it’s way more cost effective to do everything from scratch,” Johnson said. “It translates into being able to give your employees what they are worth.”

Pizza will also be on the horizon in the next several months.

While working in Alaska, Johnson worked at Moose’s Tooth Pizza in Anchorage, which is the top grossing, non-franchised pizza place in the nation.

“In 2015, they did $6 million in sales,” she said. “It’s a destination spot.”

A Moose’s Tooth pizza will be featured in the future on the menu with the permission of the Alaskan owners.

By the spring, the owners hope to offer some activities out back such as washers and corn hole.

The eatery is hiring for all positions and willing to work with those who may not have prior kitchen experience.

“I’m willing to work with them and teach them,” Johnson said. “I’m more than willing to work around high school student schedules too. I was a teenager when I started in the kitchen. Someone took the time with me so I am more than willing to take the time with them and give them a different life skill.”

Those who are interested can email for an application at backwoodstxs@gmail. com.

Preliminary hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. -3 p.m. Sunday. The physical address is 17157 US Hwy. 377 South.