The Bill Miller Bar-B-Que Restaurant Chain is a locally owned San Antonio Barbeque restaurant chain with approximately 60 restaurants in San Antonio and other Texas cities.  From 1992 until the present Stephen J. Kramer Architecture + Design, Inc. has designed and remodeled over twenty facilities for this long term client.  Initially we designed restaurants using an existing building prototype.

This consisted of a clay tile structure with a simple fascia and covered front porch.  Over the years we have developed two new prototypes for this restaurant chain.  The first one is approximately 5,000 s.f. and is designed to look like an early Texas Ranch style building.  Exterior materials consist of vertical board and batten siding, and rock faced concrete block topped by steeply sloped standing seam metal roofing.  Accent details such as wood shutters, cast iron stars, and column brackets complete the exterior look.

The second prototype is a modification of the original Bill Millers building however the basic box has been modified keeping the front porch from the original building design and adding a standing seam metal mansard roof and gabled entry foyer.  All of the Bill Miller facilities contain ample parking and drive through ordering facilities.  The building interiors use material similar to the building exterior with the addition of a stained concrete flooring and some cypress wood paneled walls.  Additional items such as custom made tables sporting the cattle brands of the chain Owners, custom made counter stools fashioned out of tractor seats as well as western paintings, airbrushed murals of ranching scenes and accents such as cowboy boots and ropes are used to give the building interiors more of a western flair.  In addition to the visual design elements these restaurants require extensive design time and coordination with engineers and consultants in order to provide a functional efficient facility kitchen area in back of the house that is seldom seen by patrons.