An Income Opportunity for Anyone Near The Allred Unit
The Allred Unit (our local prison in Wichita Falls, Texas) employs about 950 people. This is a population larger than some small Texas towns. There are two needs among this group that come to mind.
Childcare and food. Let's talk about the food first. Presently, employees eat, at no cost, in the "Officer's Dining Room" at the Allred Unit. The ODR is not, by design, a "Four Star" restaurant. I'm sure it's much better than a soup kitchen but it's not even a Glass Kitchen, to make a comparison.
Now the child care. I would imagine that for anyone needing childcare so they could maintain a job, a child cares facility positioned on the same road that is taken to and from work would be a most convenient arrangement.
An enterprising person or persons could probably make good money by setting up one or both types of businesses at the vacant lot on the northwest corner of FM 369 and U.S. 287. There was, at one time, a restaurant and gas station at that location, and had the prison been there at that time, the business would probably still be there.
In the beginning, a portable building could be used. There's probably some rule against having a second business within a day care center, so to have both operations would probably require two separate buildings. There's so many rules governing day care centers, that you may not even be able to have one near the highway. I don't know. Anyway, this is just an idea to build on. You can research and tweak as needed.
As far as the hamburger joint goes, this location is a premium spot, period. You'll get plenty of interest from highway travelers alone.
If I were doing it, I would give the restaurant a "prison" theme, with correctional institution type artifacts on the walls. I would have prison-type phrases built in to the menu items, including a "Johnny Sack" to go.
Maynard Hawkins