For John Morris, managing partner of BillyGoat Grub, food is more than just a menu — it’s a memory.
“One guy was eating a hamburger and said it tasted just like the ones his dad used to make and started crying,” Morris said. “Reactions like that to really good food — that’s the best part of cooking.”
Four years after opening as a food truck, BillyGoat Grub expanded to a brick-and-mortar restaurant in April. In addition to the menu customers already know, the restaurant now has a full bar and a happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m.
“I love feeding people,” Morris said. “(I love) seeing people leave happy. We’ve been able to do that with the food truck for a while. This is the next step up.”
Morris started BillyGoat Grub in 2021, opening the business as a food truck with his parents. He had worked as a sous chef for a country club in Florida and wanted to bring a part of that experience back to Norman. That’s why BillyGoat Grub’s menu rotates regularly and elevates comfort food to be more gourmet, such as lobster macaroni and cheese or the Norman cheesesteak.
The specialty fries and lobster roll at BillyGoat Grub.
Once the theme of the truck was concrete, the trio finalized the rest of the business. The name came from Morris’ high school nickname, “Goat,” and his father’s name, Bill. Thus, BillyGoat Grub was officially born.
“We’ve always been a close family,” said Mary Poillion, Morris’ mother and BillyGoat Grub’s human resources manager. “This is getting to know each other in a different way. We’re not providers to John anymore — we’re his partners.”
The business also strives to stay connected with the community. The art on the restaurant’s walls is made by local artist Michael Bendure and is available for purchase.
BillyGoat Grub also participates in Brickwalk Bites on campus where a rotating list of food trucks are stationed every Tuesday and Thursday evening outside the Cross Village restaurants, and the food truck is parked on Jenkins Avenue and Boyd Street every home football game.
“We want to reach our community,” Morris said. “If we come in and help support our neighbors, they’ll come support us. At the end of the day, that’s all we can ask for.”
