Hungry Farmer Steakhouse was more than a place for steak and chicken-fried steak: its Southside address also housed Uncle Barney’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers, a connected restaurant that made patties from Hungry Farmer’s steak trimmings. Explore Texas described the burgers as ground daily and shaped like Texas; the arrangement gave the Garrahan family two dining concepts under one roof.
That family business has now closed permanently. Founder Jack Roland Garrahan died at 86 on September 28, and his granddaughter Madison Dunn announced the closure on TikTok, thanking her grandparents for creating something she called “special and legendary,” the San Antonio Express-News reported.
A Southside fixture built by the Garrahans
Jack Garrahan, his wife Verlene and his brother Richard founded Hungry Farmer in 1967. The family moved from Floresville to San Antonio as the restaurant grew; Jack and Verlene later took ownership. The steakhouse’s longtime location was at 7015 Interstate 35 Access Road, near Southwest Military Drive and South Park Mall, according to the Express-News and Live From The Southside.
Its menu centered on familiar American comfort food, including steaks, burgers and chicken-fried steak. Live From The Southside highlighted the Texas Double Chicken Fried Steak, a 16-ounce hand-breaded portion served with cream gravy, as a signature dish.
A local comparison, not a wider trend
Another San Antonio steakhouse, the separate Barn Door Restaurant & Meat Market, scheduled its final service for May 10, according to MySA. The two restaurants’ closures offer a limited local comparison; the Barn Door date does not explain Hungry Farmer’s decision or, by itself, establish a broader pattern.
Garrahan was born in Floresville in 1940, later attended Southwest Texas State University and served in the U.S. Army before working in law enforcement, according to his obituary information on Legacy and the Express-News. Verlene, his co-founder and wife of more than six decades, died on March 15, 2026, at 85, according to Vinyard Funeral Home.
