The award-winning Zimmerhanzel is once again serving barbecue in Smithville.

The restaurant reopened Monday under the ownership of Bert and Dee Dee Bunte after the barbecue joint closed its doors almost 11 months. The Buntes reopened the shop following repeated requests from customers — an opportunity they didn’t want to refuse.

"We would get a lot of requests to come back, and we missed it," Dee Dee said. "We felt it needed to be Zimmerhanzel’s again."

Rather than sell the building, Cliff Burns gave the Buntes the chance to lease the building — and the couple took it.

"We are thankful for him. He’s always worked with us," Dee Dee said.

After working at Zimmerhanzel’s since they were seniors in high school, the Buntes decided to try other ventures in life, closing Zimmerhanzel’s right before Christmas last year. In mid-January, they sold the property to Cliff Burns, owner of neighboring Smithville Food Lockers. Both buildings and the property were once owned by Dee Dee’s parents and are tied together by function.

Burns, along with his cousin Howard Burns, operated Smithville Pit BBQ for five months before closing in July, leaving Smithville without a barbecue restaurant.

"You know the things you thought you wanted to be off for, we didn’t go do," said Dee Dee, talking about having extra time while limiting work to part time at a bank. "It was weird."

The Buntes hope to put balance in their life. Dee Dee said that they learned a lot about life in general during their time away from the restaurant. Now they’re rested and grateful to be back.

"This is a better option," she said. "It’s what people are used to and what we know."

They still hold their business license since they had considered catering this past year, though Dee Dee said that lacking the equipment and facilities made that idea difficult.

The restaurant will mostly operate as it did for 36 years. Dee Dee plans to open Monday through Saturday and close on major holidays. The menu will be the same and still feature Zimmerhanzel’s sauce.

They will keep the credit card payment option and the fountain machine brought in by Burns, though they will not man the take-out window due to the manpower needed to operate it.

"My four-year-old granddaughter, on trip to Brookshire Brothers, said ‘Oh look Mamaw, it’s where you and papaw work,’" Dee Dee said. "And I felt that way, too. My car wants to stop there."

Now it will.