Choctaw Heritage, Values Inspire Success

Hookers Burgers in the Fort Worth Stockyards may look like just another burger joint, but the scripture Ruth Hooker placed in the foundation as it was being poured, her family’s handprints pressed into the corner and the phrase, “chi pisa la chike” prominently engraved where all can see, serve as a way for Ruth Hooker to remember, and share her Choctaw values of faith, family and culture.

Those values have helped Hooker build her restaurant from the ground up and propel her Oklahoma Onion Burger to Best Burger in Fort Worth. a result of the 2019 Fort Worth Magazine’s readers choice poll.

To say Hooker is proud of her Choctaw heritage is an understatement. The granddaughter of Choctaw Code Talker, George Davenport, remembers when her grandmother would hold her face saying, “don’t forget you’re Indian.”

“So I try to find ways in my daily life to honor that. One of the ways that I do it, is to educate other people,” said Hooker.

Hooker says when people see the Choctaw phrase, “chi pisa la chike” they think it’s Spanish, but don’t know what it means. She then gets to tell them that it’s not Spanish, but Choctaw, meaning until we meet again, explaining that there is no Choctaw word for goodbye.

“It’s just a way for me to educate other people that maybe don’t know, and it reminds me of where I came from,” said Hooker, adding, “if you don’t know where you came from, and who sacrificed what, then how do you know where to go?”

Hooker says the lessons don’t stop with the writing on the wall. They also come from the menu in the form of Indian tacos. Hooker explains, “You’re in the heart of the stockyards, when they see Indian taco they think that they’re going to get a Mexican taco or a street taco.”

She takes that opportunity to explain to them what an Indian taco is and how it’s made with fry bread, using a traditional Choctaw recipe passed down from her great-grandmother.

Hookers Burgers has been open for two years in the Fort Worth Stockyards, with a second location opening at the end of July. While she had planned something like this for a long time, when it came to building, it was no easy task.

Hooker, who has never worked in the restaurant or construction business, was her own general contractor when she built the restaurant.

She says there were several times in the process where it seemed like there was always something else that had to be done before she completed something important. Or there was always just one more thing. She remembers thinking that this would be where others would quit and say, it’s too much, or it’s too stressful.

“You have to define in those moments, what are you about. Who let you be here today to even have the opportunity to do this.” Hooker credits her Choctaw heritage for her resilience. She wears jewelry that has the Choctaw seal, a war memorial for her grandfather and other pieces of Native art that help her through tough situations.

“Anytime that I was going to meet with an inspector; anytime that I was going to do something important; anytime I had to meet with a contractor, I put this on…and said, I got all this stuff behind me, so I can do whatever is in front of me.”

Hooker’s story isn’t just inspiring because of her hard work, or her success with the onion burger, but also for how she uses those things to help others.

“I have a large population of homeless that come to this area, they live down here, and when they want something to eat or drink, well, I have eat or drink in my restaurant. I would never turn someone away because they didn’t have money,” said Hooker.

Some will pick up and take out the trash, but she doesn’t require it. “Even if they don’t, they can order off the menu just like anybody else,” said Hooker.

It’s not just food she helps with. She’ll also place clothing items in the bathroom for them to take. Something that could make a huge difference during the winter when temperatures drop.

Feeding and helping others is something Hooker’s family has always done. Hooker said she remembers as a child people just stopping on their way to work, or on their way home to eat at her grandmother’s house. She just thought it was interesting, and for the most part, normal. “These are just things that I’ve been taught growing up by my parents and my grandparents,” said Hooker.

Hooker has taken her onion burger and used the lessons she learned growing up Choctaw to create something special. She’s used the core Choctaw values of faith, family and culture to literally build her foundation and then used that to spread what it means to be Choctaw to the world.

“When you start out, you think it’s going to be about the food, but what really happens is it’s about everything but the food,” said Hooker.

It’s about doing a good job and helping others, not so much the burgers or the bottom line.

“We’re not trying to sell a product. We’re trying to create memories…and our food just happens to be along for the ride.”

The Inspire What’s Next campaign aims to tell the story of the Choctaw Nation through the inspiring stories of tribal members, employees and tribal members who are employees. These stories are about cultivating leaders, strengthening families, supporting our neighbors and building economic opportunities.