A series of Facebook posts in recent days and a direct message show an ownership change at Boot Hill Saloon & Grill Restaurant on Route 66 in Vega, Texas, has been made or is imminent.
Owner, chef and reality-television contestant Rory Schepisi said in an email Sunday “nothing is official at the moment” about the restaurant she’s owned since 2007.
However, Boot Hill’s official Facebook page indicates a change is coming. On Friday, a message from the restaurant urged patrons to “welcome the new owners,” Jeremy and Marissa Grant. Here’s a screen capture of the message:
Also on the Boot Hill page the same day, Elizabeth Lillian Jeffery, who’s listed as a bartender at the restaurant, posted the “new sole owner, Jeremy is in the kitchen this evening cooking some finger licking good food …”
On Saturday, Jeffery said Boot Hill was “under new management and ownership.” Answering a question on the post, she said: “The kitchen manager and his wife bought Boot Hill from Rory Schepisi.”
A direct message from Boot Hill said this Saturday:
We just recently bought it were transitioning from rory to us within the next few months.
It asked that questions about the changeover be emailed to Jeremy Grant. Questions were emailed Saturday; no reply had been given Sunday night.
Schepisi urged in an email that Route 66 News not publish a story. Although she wrote “nothing is official” about an ownership change, she didn’t deny it.
Schepisi put Boot Hill up for sale nearly three years ago. She said at the time travel commitments kept her from keeping an eye on the business as much as she should. She also said it was difficult to find good management personnel in Vega (population: 900).
Schepisi finished second on the CMT reality series “Popularity Contest,” which took place in Vega. A New Jersey native and restaurateur, she befriended several Vega residents and built a restaurant and bar on the corner of Route 66 and U.S. 385. Schepisi later finished second on “The Next Food Network Star” reality series and continued to make celebrity-chef appearances all over the country.