The cafeteria at the Martin County Hospital doesn’t serve standard institutional foods. Instead, fresh salads, bruschetta with heirloom tomatoes, and the best smashburger in West Texas are on the menu. Credit: GERALD E. McLEOD

Bistro20 in Stanton isn’t a normal hospital cafeteria. Situated on Interstate 20 between Midland and Big Spring, it’s an affordable fine-dining oasis among truck stops and fast-food joints. 

When Chef Maxwell Warner arrived as the head of the cafeteria, the kitchen was an industrial dispensary serving staff and patients reheated frozen foods. 

“In many cases it doesn’t cost any more or take any longer to prepare good-quality, healthy foods,” Warner says. “We emphasize scratch-made dishes using local ingredients.”

On the menu are a caprese salad with fresh mozzarella and heirloom tomatoes; a sandwich with Cajun turkey, bacon, and house-made aïoli; and other delicious offerings. A complete meal costs between $10 and $14.

The Stanton Smashburger is two patties of locally sourced wagyu beef accented with a house-made secret sauce. The burger has been honored on “best of” lists as far away as Lubbock. 

In about 18 months, Chef Maxwell Warner has turned the hospital cafeteria in Stanton into a popular breakfast and lunch spot between Big Spring and Midland on IH20. Credit: GERALD E. McLEOD

The restaurant’s beef comes from Headquarters Land and Livestock, a local ranch that brought Warner to West Texas as a private chef at their reservation-only restaurant. 

Originally from San Diego, Warner, 36, graduated from culinary school in Boulder, Colorado, in 2015. With a new baby daughter, he accepted the hospital’s offer of 9-to-5 employment. One of the first things he and his employees did was to change the name from “Scrubs and Grub” to “Bistro20” after the interstate highway. 

At lunchtime the parking lot fills with the big trucks of area workers. Warner says you can set your clock by the 45 minutes students from the nearby high school have for lunch. 

In the 18 months Warner has been at Martin County Hospital, gross sales in the cafeteria have almost doubled. Next week’s prime rib should be popular. 

Bistro20 is at 600 I-20 in Stanton, on the south frontage road just east of TX-137. The hospital cafeteria is open from 7am to 9am and 11am to 2pm. 

Oil field and construction workers have discovered the tasty, healthy, and inexpensive food at the hospital cafeteria. Students from the local high school fill the outside tables during their lunch break. Credit: GERALD E. McLEOD

1,826th in a series. Everywhere is a day trip from somewhere. Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/day-trips.

This article appears in October 2 • 2026.

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Gerald E. McLeod joined the Chronicle staff in November 1980 as a graphic designer. In April 1991 he began writing the “Day Trips” column. Besides the weekly travel column, he contributed “101 Swimming Holes,” “Guide to Central Texas Barbecue,” and “Guide to the Texas Hill Country.” His first 200 columns have been published in Day Trips Vol. I and Day Trips Vol. II.