What if a c-store had a menu item that everyone just had to have? That happened at Expo Quik Stop in Belton, Texas, located about 60 miles north of Austin. Here, it’s all about a Texas favorite: chicken-fried steak.
Owner Ailehs Gaines explained that social media influencers have touted the extra-large menu item, with one recent Instagram post getting more than 6 million views.
“I get calls from all over the country. I get calls from people all over the world—Bolivia, France, India and more. People from everywhere call and ask if we can ship it,” she said. Unfortunately, international shipping isn’t available; anyone who wants to try the famous chicken-fried steak must come to Belton.
Expo Quik Stop’s signature menu item was even part of the town’s Fourth of July parade. “We had an employee in a chicken-fried steak costume,” Gaines said. Now that’s a commitment to a menu item.
A family recipe gives the steak its flavor, but the idea to make it huge came from Gaines.
“Nine years ago my Uncle Bob came to work for us. He said, ‘I make a mean chicken-fried steak,’” she said. “His main contribution was that he knew exactly the kind of meat to use. We started out with cube steak. We now use Black Angus beef.”
Initially, the chicken-fried steak was available only on Thursdays. “I added it onto the Wednesday menu,” Gaines said. “Once I did that, things got really crazy. On Wednesday and Thursday, I make 300 to 500 steaks a day in the kitchen by myself,” she said, adding, “I never knew chicken-fried steak was so popular.”
There’s a twist to this story—Gaines is a vegetarian.
“I haven’t eaten meat in 18 years,” she said. “I can eye my seasoning. I taste my flour to make sure it’s perfection. I taught my Expo family how to do it like I do, so we’re always on the same page,” she said, adding, “We cut the steaks, we tenderize them and hand-batter them. There’s a secret to the batter and everything here is made from love.”
“I’ve always cooked. I grew up in the country with my grandmother’s country cooking. I can eye anything. My Expo family says I don’t miss a thing— it’s always perfect.”
Expo Quick Stop is not just about the giant chicken-fried steak. Customers can find Cajun favorites here, too. “People love our frog legs. We can’t keep them,” said Gaines. Alligator is another customer favorite. Gaines seasons it with a special blend that she calls swamp sauce. “It’s hard to get it right. I sit for hours making it. I don’t use a recipe,” Gaines said.
All the beef products are Black Angus. “The meat is cut here in the store by our meat cutter/kitchen manager, DeShon Freeman,” Gaines said. “He taught me to cut meat. For a vegetarian, I do pretty well.”
