Spilling the beans

Famous New Orleans coffee shop grinding into San Antonio with 40 new locations

PJ's is famous in Louisiana for its nitro cold brew.

PJ's Coffee

If one New Orleans coffee shop gets its way, its purple logo may soon be as familiar to San Antonians as the Starbucks siren. On May 17, PJ’s Coffee announced ambitious expansion plans in Texas’ four largest cities — including a whopping 40 locations in Alamo City.

According to a release, the brand was established in 1978 by Phyllis Jordan, who opened the first PJ’s in New Orleans' Carrollton neighborhood.The coffee pioneer grew steadily until she opened it up to franchising in 1989 and then sold the operation to Ballard Brands in 2008.

“I could see the beginnings of coffee culture starting up in the Northwest,” Jordan said in earlier release. “I was using coffee and tea to get people to spend time together and sit together. No one else in town was doing that.”

Cold brew was also a new idea when Jordan founded her business, but the pioneering entrepreneur developed a cold-drip process that preserved the flavor of the beans while producing a less acidic final drink. The caffeinated refresher (now also available in nitro form) became PJ’s signature menu item, offered alongside the expected espresso drinks, frozen and blended treats, and organic teas.

Although the brand is ubiquitous in Louisiana, it currently only operates three Texas franchises, all in the Houston area. Those shops have been so successful that the company is now pushing for rapid expansion — 180 locations — within the next 10 years.

In addition to the San Antonio outposts, PJ’s is opening 60 new locations in Houston, 25 in Austin, and 55 in Dallas-Fort Worth. The openings are still in the initial stages, so no information is yet available about potential locations and exact opening dates.

To put the speed of the Alamo City growth in perspective, Starbucks lists 50 locations in the city, including mini outposts in Target stores and the airport. Major competitor Dunkin’ only has eight locations in San Antonio and its own expansion plans, announced May 8, only includes six new stores. It’s clear that PJ’s intends to dominate the market.

“As we sought further expansion, Texas became an obvious choice as an area with similar values and upbeat vibe," said the brand’s chief development officer David Mesa via release. "We look forward to rapidly expanding and consistently adding to the PJ's coffee family in our neighboring state because you know what they say — everything's bigger and better in Texas."

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Back to the Basics

Famous San Antonio chicken brand returns to original recipe from 1952

Church's Texas Chicken/Instagram

Church's Texas Chicken is bringing back its recipe — not that it's been gone very long.

A San Antonio staple that's become world famous is going back to its roots. Church's Texas Chicken is bringing back its original recipe, which was originally developed in 1952, with a few tweaks.

According to a news release, the "rejuvenated" recipe now includes richer spices. The chicken is marinated — to the bone, it assures — then hand-battered and breaded, resulting in a crispy texture. It also emphasizes that only one "batter" and one breader is needed, which it says makes for a more consistent product.

It's not clear exactly when the chain moved away from its original recipe, but it must have been fairly recent; it was still boasting that the recipe had never changed as late as 2018. In 2019, it underwent a rebrand that added "Texas" as a "middle name" to signify its origins.

Although Church's started in San Antonio — and it still has Texas right in the middle of its name — it's now headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. That's because the brand was purchased by a different chicken company that was already located there.

“This return is not only a return to our roots, but also a strategic move to drive our business forward," said CEO said Joe Guith. "We’re confident that our guests will enjoy our exceptional recipe and iconic flavor, fueling our growth and success.”

George W. Church was the originator of the recipe. The first restaurant was located across from The Alamo, but now there are more than 1,500 stores worldwide.

Church's Texas Chicken retro exterior What Church's used to look like.Photo courtesy of Church's Texas Chicken

Despite more than 70 years in business, Church's has kept its menu simple. Some chicken is served on the bone, and some as tenders; some goes on a sandwich, and that's about it for variations on the main offering. Sides switch things up a bit, but still stick to fries or Southern classics like mashed potato, mac and cheese, corn, and fried okra, among others.

This doesn't mean the chain hasn't innovated. In 2024 it was featured on a Hulu docuseries called Superhot: The Spicy World of Pepper People. Over two episodes, it put out a call for a proprietary pepper to claim for a new ridiculously hot sauce. That became the "signature" hot sauce made with red chili peppers, red bell peppers, habanero, and roasted garlic.

However, it sounds like nothing can beat the classics for a brand that's banking on nostalgia.

"We’re excited to bring back our OG recipe to satisfy our guests' cravings for even more flavor, ensuring every bite is infused with our blend of spices our guests love," said the brand's corporate head chef Kevin Houston. "We extend a warm welcome to those who haven’t visited our restaurants in a while to rediscover our legendary chicken.”

More information about Church's Texas Chicken is available at churchs.com.

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