Some Houston Restaurant Owners Decide to Wait Before Opening Dining Rooms

Yesterday, Texas governor Greg Abbott announced he’s letting the statewide stay-at-home order expire as planned at midnight on April 30. On May 1, restaurants across the state will be allowed to reopen but only at 25 percent customer capacity. To facilitate a safe reopening, the state has also issued an extensive list of rules that restaurants and customers most follow to help ensure sanitary conditions.

Less than two hours after Abbott’s press conference ended, Houston mayor Sylvester Turner hosted one of his own. Turner’s had a much more somber tone. “I will tell you today the Houston Health Department is reporting 74 new cases of COVID-19 and bringing the total case count in the City of Houston to 3,358,” said the mayor. “Sadly, the number of deaths have increased to 46. That means that four more people lost their lives to this particular virus and are added to that count.”

The message was clear: while the governor’s orders supersedes local ones, COVID-19 is still present in Houston. For that reason, and many others, including the difficulty of making a profit or even breaking even with 75 percent fewer seated customers, some restaurateurs are waiting for better odds.

The restaurants listed below are mostly places that are sticking with to-go and delivery only, but there’s also a hybrid that is opening only its patio for seating and changing its service model for these “interesting” times. 

Backstreet Cafe, 1103 South Shepherd, (713) 521-2239: For now, restaurateur Tracy Vaught and executive chef Hugo Ortega are opting for patience rather than speed. Backstreet Café is opening for phase two of the governor’s plan, which allows for 50% occupancy. In the meantime, this venerable restaurant with an outstanding wine selection is planning for special Mother’s Day brunch packs and is continuing to offer curbside pickup and delivery from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Hugo’s in Montrose is on the same plan, but Vaught and Ortega’s other restaurants, Xochi and Caracol, remain closed for the time being.

Cane Rosso, 1835 North Shepherd, (713) 868-0071: This home of Neapolitan pizza, pasta dishes and more isn’t flinging open the front door yet. “Opening our dining rooms, even at just 25% occupancy, is a big task that involves an innumerable amount of updated procedures, increased safety precautions, and as many of you are hearing today, financial considerations,” read a statement on its Facebook page. It may open as early as this week, or it might be around May 18 when 50% occupancy is allowed. For now, the pickup and delivery specials continue, such as half-off bottles of wine and six-packs of craft beer for $12.

Down House, 1801 Yale, (713) 864-3696: This restaurant, which has been temporarily closed for the last few weeks, posted to Facebook a note to customers, “Right now, we don’t think it is either financially feasible or in the best interest of our staff or guests to reopen. We hope that things will change soon and look forward to serving you whenever things are safer!” 

Elliot’s Table, 465 T C Jester, (713) 485-0340: Owner Elliot Roddy is not opening his dining room yet, but will continue to offer to-go and curbside pickup Wednesdays through Saturdays from 3 to 8 p.m. The company’s statement reads, “The most important thing is to balance social distancing while serving high quality, safe and delicious food. Anything that helps slow the spread of COVID-19 is the best thing we can do for Houston‘s economy. We will make our decision to reopen the dining room based on CDC guidelines along with our local officials and medical experts.” 

Fluff Bake Bar, 1701 West 15th, (713) 522-1900: Although the pastry shop recently moved from midtown to a bigger and better Heights location, owner Rebecca Masson is, for now, not swinging open the doors for anything other than pickup and shipping. “I’m just going to maintain what I’ve been doing. What’s 25% of 10 seats? Two people? That’s not going to work. I haven’t gotten any loans yet, but I’ve got one part-time and one full-time person, and I’m able to pay them. I can pay my light bill and I can buy more butter. So, I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing.” 

Golden Bagels & Coffee, 3119 White Oak, (346) 240-3780: While this popular bagel joint hasn’t set a date for when it will open dine-in service, one thing is certain — it’s not going to be May 1. In the meantime, its offerings are available via online ordering and the abbreviated hours are from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Hugo’s, 1600 Westheimer, (713) 524-7744: Like its sister restaurant Backstreet Cafe (above), this award-winning Mexican establishment is slated for a “phase two” opening, which could be around May 18. That will allow for 50% customer occupancy rather than 25%. Sister restaurants Xochi and Caracol remain closed for the time being.

Koffeteria, 1110 Hutchins: The EaDo home of beautiful croissants, inventive kolaches and frothy coffee beverages is proceeding with caution and not opening just yet. “During the next few weeks, we will continue to focus on to-go orders and curbside pickup. We will limit the number of people in the store and require all customers to wear masks, as per Harris County ordinance. Let’s work together with patience and understanding to get through this, and we promise delicious pastries in return.” The current hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, and online ordering is available for takeout, delivery, and curbside service. 

Lasagna House, 217D Cypress Creek Parkway, (281) 580-7797: Owner Matt Vernon says that he’s going to hold off on opening until Mother’s Day, which is on May 10 and historically one of the restaurant’s busiest days. “My wife and my young son have asthma. This is a very bad and highly contagious virus, and we still don’t know exactly how it spreads. There is absolutely no amount of money in the world that is worth me taking a risk with my family’s health. Of course, as a business owner I want to operate. Seeing my dining room like this has been disheartening, but it’s not worth any possible risks of reopening and having even one of our guests or valued staff members get sick. We hope our community and staff will support our decision.” In the interim, curbside pickup of lasagna, many other pasta dishes and a great hot Italian beef sandwich is still offered, and delivery is available through a multitude of third-party services. 

Local Foods: Technically, all four locations are opening on May 1 but offering counter service only and limiting seating on the patio. The 25% occupancy and social distancing guidelines will be used when considering how to seat diners. The restaurant is continuing to sell its popular in-house grocery items and produce boxes. Disposable silverware and dishware are being used and customers must throw away their own trash. The hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. 

Pallotta’s Italian Grill, 27606 I-45, Oak Ridge North, (281) 364-9555: Owner Phil Nicosia says he’s planning to wait at least a week and possibly until “phase two,” which allows for 50% occupancy instead of a mere 25%. “I want to take staff and guests safety into consideration,” he said. In the meantime, curbside pickup and delivery via DoorDash of Italian-style family meals continues to be available.

Rainbow Lodge, 2011 Ella, (713) 861-8666: Like many others, owner Donnette Hansen isn’t quite ready to swing open the doors. For weeks, the restaurant has provided curbside pickup for dinner and just expanded hours to begin offering lunch. The restaurant’s team has also developed some creative to-go programs that often see sommelier and beverage director Marc Borel teaming up with executive chef Mark Schmidt. Borel has created detailed cocktail kits and the duo have teamed up on a to-go version of Rainbow Lodge’s walk-around wine tastings: a virtual wine tasting class complete with a take-and-bake Wild Game Hunter’s Pie. Hansen says she’s tentatively reopening on May 18 — but it may be earlier. 

Roost, 1972 Fairview, (713) 523-7667: Owner Kevin Naderi wrote that his cozy Montrose restaurant isn’t ideal for social distancing. “Roost will continue to ONLY do takeout and curbside for several more weeks,” he wrote on Facebook. “We are a small establishment and it makes no sense for us to try and social-distance such a small space. We have incredible guests as it is and we are happy keeping operations the way they have been going until there is true clarity in two or three more weeks.” In the meantime, Roost continues to be open daily from 4 to 9 p.m. for takeout, delivery, and curbside pickup. 

Samurai Noodle, 1801 Durham, (832) 879-2982 and 24025 Katy Freeway, Katy, (281) 394-7303: Owner Thomas Tang is waiting to reopen  his dining room for a couple of reasons. He hasn’t received funds from either the Paycheck Protection Program or Economic Disaster Injury Loan and he’s concerned about the intricacies of day-to-day operations under the current guidelines. Tang says the average customer check at his ramen restaurants is $11 — so there’s not a lot of leeway to cover the extra costs that reopening right now will incur. Those include designated staff members to man the front door and focus strictly on cleaning and sanitizing. “There’s too many moving parts, and most importantly, I need those loans to fund the staff,” he said. Not to worry: Samurai Noodle’s well-made ramens are available via takeout and most third-party delivery services. The Houston location is open daily; the one in Katy is only open Fridays and Saturdays for now. 

Sonoma Wine Bar, 801 Studewood, (713) 864-9463 and 2720 Richmond, (713) 526-9463: Both the Heights and Upper Kirby locations of this wine bar are continuing to offer pickup and delivery rather than reopening the dining rooms. A message on Facebook says, “For the safety of our employees and customers we have decided not to reopen for dine-in service this Friday, May 1st. We will continue with our curbside pickup and free delivery within a 3-mile radius. We are excited to see everyone. We miss you more than words can express.” Ordering is available online. Use discount code SHOPSMALL for 10% off your order. 

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