'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' Gas Station Open for Biz

People usually run away from Leatherface, but hundreds came out for the grand opening of The Gas Station ... the key location where "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" was filmed.

Roy Rose, owner of the new Texas BBQ joint and motel, tells TMZ ... they had a packed house -- people waited in line almost 3 hours. He says they hired a cook for the opening, and the trial run went so well he's now their full-time guy.

We're told a ton of merch was sold in the gift shop, and special guests included Ed Neal and Ed Guinn -- who played the hitchhiker and the cattle truck driver in the OG movie. As you can see in the pics ... some other interesting characters showed up too.

Roy says they showed "Texas Chainsaw 3D" on a big screen, and he'll be serving up more killer barbecue Halloween weekend.