NATCHEZ — Long before Moo’s Barn and Grill opened, the spotted cow standing on the rafters over the patio was serving as a beacon for passers-by attention.

The blue and white steer with “EAT” emblazoned on its side outside the front door got a lot of attention, too.

And with build out — converting an old tobacco shop into a into a craft burger and wings shop — taking two years, that meant owner Matthew Vines, who was doing all the renovations himself, knew he had to do things right.

“It put a lot of anticipation out in the community, and it put a lot of pressure on me,” he said.

“I just took the time to do it right, because I definitely wanted something Natchez doesn’t have.”

Now, those months of building and anticipation have come to a head, and Moo’s has finally opened. The name comes from a childhood nickname — Ma-moo — that family members picked up again in recent years after his nephew couldn’t pronounce “Matthew.”

Patterned after eateries he liked when he lived in Baton Rouge, Vines — who attended the Louisiana Culinary Institute — said it could almost be considered a “tailgate-style restaurant.”

But the food isn’t just a matter of throwing a burger patty on the grill.

“I didn’t want anything plain and boring,” Vines said. “I wanted to offer something where people would say, ‘That is a real craft burger.’”

While he was handling the remodeling himself, Vines said he tested most of the recipes on friends at his hunting camp.

“You can think of that as my research and development team,” he said.

Moo’s offers a regular cheeseburger with gruyere and cheddar cheese, but other options on the nine-burger menu allow Vines to show off his craft burger game. The Maui Wowie comes with an eight ounce patty, gruyere and Swiss cheese, topped with marinated and grilled pineapple, grilled onions and sweet Remoulade.

The Barn Burger is topped with pulled pork and fried onion strings, while the Cali Burger has pepper jack cheese, fried egg and avacado slices. The Cat Daddy Crawfish Burger has American cheese, jumbo crawfish tails, and crawfish cream sauce.

Lettuce, tomato and pickle are served on the side with most burgers.

Vines also decided to offer wings, inspired by the weekly wings night he used to have with friends.

“We don’t have a wings place in Natchez, and that’s definitely something I wanted to bring,” he said.

The wing flavors offered include buffalo; teriyaki; sweet chili; barbecue; sweet hot honey mustard; super hot burn your soul send you home to momma sauce; lemon pepper; garlic parmesan; and Cajun spice.

And for the adventurous — and ravenous — eater, Moo’s offers two eating challenges.

The Windmill is three eight ounce patties covered with cheese, bacon, fried eggs, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pulled pork, topped with a mac and cheese dog with bacon crumbles and two fried mac and cheese logs. It’s served with fries and a drink.

It costs $28.95, but someone who can eat it all gets it free.

The wings challenge is for 25 super hot burn your soul wings. Eaters have a choice of water or milk to accompany the meal, which costs $20.95.

“I haven’t had anybody try the Windmill yet, though I have had two gentlemen try the wing challenge,” Vines said.

Hot dogs, quesadillas and wraps, appetizers and salads are also on the menu.

Outside Moos, customers can dine on a lighted patio that’s fan cooled for the summer and will be heated during the winter months.

Inside, he wants the atmosphere to be a place where people can casually dine and watch sports on game day.

“I am selling atmosphere as much as anything, because I know the food will sell itself,” he said. “And I like to feed people — they’re happy when they’re full.”

Moos is located at the intersection of Government Fleet Road and John R. Junkin Drive.

It is open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 5 to 9 p.m., and can be reached by phone at 601-653-0907.

A menu can be viewed online at moosbarnandgrill.com/menu.