PK General Store: A Family Affair
Story by Steve Nussbaum
 PK General Store has served the southern part of Possum Kingdom Lake for almost 30 years, and it’s the go-to stop for those in Sportsman’s World, Gaines Bend, The Cliffs, and others traveling Highway 16.
 The business has been family-owned and family-operated since its inception, and the new owners, Chad and Nicole Morrill, aim to keep it that way. The sale of the store to the Morrills became official at the end of June.
 The PK General Store, or as many who have grown up enjoying Possum Kingdom Lake like to call it, “the old Whataburger†has long history of being a staple in the PK community. The building located on SH-16 at the entrance of Sportsman World was built in the early 1980’s as just a yellow metal storage building. It had a garage door and entry door where the register for the grill is today. The store at this time was called the Lucky Bean and even then, was known for its famous hamburgers. In 1994 the Lucky Bean was sold to Mrs. Betsy Bowden and the store name changed to the PK General Store. On April 27th, 1998, Mr. J.T. Pass purchased it and opened the locally famous Whataburger. Mr. Pass had developed 80 restaurants in four states and was the largest franchisee of Whataburger Restaurants in the country at this time. On June 27th, 2000 the PK General Store and Whataburger franchise was then sold to the Woodruff family (long-time employees and personal friends of Mr. Pass). The Woodruff’s owned and operated the business until 2021. The Whataburger location served the lake community from May 22, 1998, until December 30, 2018. At this time, the Woodruffs reopened the grill on January 17, 2019, as a locally owned and operated establishment.
 In 2018 the Morrills bought a lot in Sportsman’s World, with plans to build a weekend family retreat. In January of this year, Chad Morrill and his son were in the store to get oil for a chainsaw they planned to use to clear their Sportsman’s World lot when they overheard that the planned sale of the business had fallen through.
 Morrill said he immediately spoke with the owners about buying the business, then went to his car to call his wife and tell her about the business being for sale.
 That chance encounter began the Morrills’ six-month endeavor to buy the business.
 The Morrills live in Trophy Club and work in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and at present, they own a home in Sportsman’s World, with plans to commute back and forth.
 The business is truly a family affair, with all four of the couple’s children – Bryson, age 19; Connor, 16; Leigha, 11; and Wyatt, 10 – working for the business in some capacity.
 For the Morrills, it’s a dream come true to be able to work with each other and their children at a business located in their favorite place.
 From the moment the couple saw the store, they had a vision of what they thought the business could be, and it was their goal to build on the history of the business and take advantage of the growing opportunities the area has to offer.
 It hasn’t taken the Morrills long to make some big changes, and they said their goal is to make PK General Store more than just a hamburger joint and convenience store.
 One of the first changes they made was to add fresh homemade pizzas to the menu, and they say the key to success is “all in the dough,†which is made fresh daily. The crust is brushed with a garlic butter sauce around the edge, then dusted with parmesan cheese, and both a regular-crust and a thin-crust pizza are on the menu. The Morrills also have added a smaller pizza on a cauliflower crust for a healthier option.
 During the week, the business offers pizza by the slice during the lunch hour, and the pizza options have been well-received by the store’s customers. Salads are being added to the menu for more healthy options, too. The menu has definitely expanded, but the same Whataburger-style burgers and shakes aren’t changing.
 The next few changes for the store are planned for the latter part of August. The plans include:
- Making the inside dining area more of a diner/café style, with table-side service.
- Adding a full breakfast menu, in addition to grab-and-go lunch items during the week.
- Expanding the side of the building and back of the store, using the existing covered seating and adding space with more seating options.
- Adding a place for outdoor games and a large space for children.
- Offering live entertainment on Saturdays, with the goal to make a great gathering place to watch a ballgame serving the coldest beer on the lake.
 The Morrills met at a live music venue in Kansas many years ago and said they have a fondness for live music. Their vision for PK General Store is for the business to have a very family-friendly and relaxed vibe.
 The two of them believe in shopping locally and said they are always looking to add locally sourced items and products to their store’s shelves. To that end, they already have added Red Meat Co. products to their list of items to sell. Red Meat is all-grass-fed longhorn beef that is produced in the area. Local brands, the couple said, help the community and set PK General Store apart from others in the area. Their ultimate goal, they said, is to serve the local community, as well as the weekenders and seasonal tourists, by providing consistent hours and top-notch customer service.
