New 'Bob's' owners thankful for community's support

It was a long time in the making, but Ryan and Amanda Mora are now the proud owners of a restaurant.

A year ago, the Moras began the process of purchasing Bob’s Catfish in Meridian. Last month, it became their place.

“We finally got the financing to go through,” Amanda said. “It’s been a tough road.”

They will be changing the name slightly to Bob’s Landmark Eatery.

“We wanted to keep Bob’s (Bowden) name because he owned the business for 47 years and we wanted people to be able to find us if they went to look up the restaurant,” Amanda said.

The couple moved to the Comanche area nine years ago so Ryan could be close to his Halliburton job. They have two sons ages 16 and 6 and a daughter age 3.

Amanda was a stay-at-home mom, but eventually decided she wanted to find something to get out of the house for a little while, so she began working part-time at the restaurant.

While it may look like a big step up from part-time employee to owner, Amanda has several years of restaurant experience, including running her own small cafe in Wichita Falls, Texas at one point.

They had bought a home in Meridian Heights when they first moved to Stephens County, but now live west of Comanche.

“We love it here,” Amanda said. “We plan to stay.”

And the community has shown it’s love to the Moras as business has been steady ever since they took over.

They maintained all the staff and will be looking to add more because of how business is going.

Ryan is still learning the ropes of the restaurant business, but Amanda said he is picking it up and they complement each other well.

“He’s good with inventory and numbers and I’m good with everything else, so we make a good team,” Amanda said.

The couple has been married for 10 years and met through mutual friends when he was living in Waurika and she was in Wichita Falls.

“We went out on our first date and have been together ever since,” Amanda said.

The menu is still the same and will remain the same for the most part. The fish and barbecue will be the same with a few upgrades on other things.

“We plan on adding a kids’ menu and daily specials,” Amanda said. “I’ve added banana pudding to the menu because people kept requesting my banana pudding. I was making two pans a day and it would be gone in no time, so I’m making three big batches a day now.”

Currently, the restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. A plan to start serving on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. is tentatively planned for mid-October.

“We are so thankful for the support,” Amanda said. “With what is going on in the world, we didn’t know what to expect, but we’ve been running non-stop. We’re not mad about it, that’s for sure. We’re still trying to establish an everyday routine. We’re still cleaning and painting on Sundays, so we’re not getting any days of rest. We just hope it continues.”