Heyday of Texas John's Restaurant revisited

RITZVILLE – In the 1970s, John Christopher Doherty left his home in Houston, Texas, to manage a Stuckey's gift shop and restaurant on East Tokio Road.

"My parents managed a Stuckey's restaurant (now Templin's)," recalled Peggy Cross, Doherty's daughter. "My dad stepped in to manage Stuckey's restaurants that were struggling."

By the 1960s, the Stuckey's franchise had grown from a single roadside stand in Eastman, Ga., to a substantial business empire with 368 outlets in 30 states. The restaurants offered gifts, souvenirs, food and Texaco gasoline.

But in the 1970s, the oil crunch curtailed muc...