The T-shirt for Babe's Chicken Dinner House in Roanoke, Texas pretty much says it all.

There evidently aren't any secrets around Babe's, located maybe three miles from Texas Motor Speedway. Want to know the secret ingredient to their specialty fried chicken or chicken fried steak? No problem. Just ask 'em. Or read the restaurant's "Menu Truce" found on the back of its T-shirts.

The truce goes something like this:

We start with delicious, fresh poultry ... or anything that looks a whole lot like chicken ... imported ... or brought to us by a Mack truck from Arkansas.

After selecting the most succulent pieces ... everything but the neck, feet and back ... we marinate ... or soak ... the choice cuts in our secret spices ... which is salt water ... for exactly 24 hours ... or anywhere from eight to 30 hours ... allowing each piece to reach a peak of flavor ... it can be chewed.

After releasing ... which is grabbing it out ... the pieces from the marinade, we carefully rinse them in fresh spring water ... which is local city water.

Next, we lower the pieces ... we drop, chuck it or throw it in the fryer ... into a bath of sweet milk ... a can with milk in it ... followed by a sensitive dusting of finely ground wheat seed ... which is basically flour.

After the preparation is complete, the actual cooking process begins. Each piece is allowed to cook in canola oil, which is healthier for you ... at least that's what they're saying this year ... for several minutes to reach perfection ... or whenever it's done.

Each piece is then lifted and passed to our sales representative ... which is a waitress, busboy, dishwasher or whoever can take it out ... for distribution to our honored guests ... who are those we think are going to pay the bill and leave a tip.

The company's first restaurant, Bubba's, was opened by owners Paul and Mary Beth Vinyard across from Southern Methodist University in Dallas about 27 years ago. Sadly, Mary Beth passed away in December 2008. The family owned chain is now overseen by Paul and his son and daughter, Joel and Tiffany, and now includes the original Bubba's, nine Babe's locations and Sweetie Pie Ribeyes in Decatur, Texas.

The goal, says Jay Bivin, general manager of the Roanoke restaurant, is to maintain a family atmosphere.

"We try to bring back old family get-togethers and memories of family get-togethers, Thanksgiving or whatever it might be, at Grandmother's house," Bivin says. "We try to remind families that places like this still exist.

"The thinking behind [the original Bubba's location] was, down in that area at that time, there just wasn't any good country, down-home cooking. So we went in there, put in fried chicken and called it 'Bubba's,' just to be different from everybody else."

The first Babe's restaurant was opened by the Vinyards in April 1993. As evidenced by the restaurant's T-shirt, there is a sense of humor to the place along with its down-home feel. A couple of the slogans on the company's Web site, babeschicken.com, include "You can always tell a Texan ... but not much," and "No spurs in hot tub."

"We eat all we can and sell the rest," Bivin says. "We'd just like for everybody to come down, try it themselves and tell us what they think."