2020 was a hell of a year but here we are on New Year’s Eve looking towards 2021 with hope. This week we are not putting a spotlight on a particular bar or restaurant but instead the Houston food and beverage industry as a whole. The pandemic put a stop to life in the beginning of the year. Streets were empty, stores were bare and businesses were closing. Bars who were forced to close by local regulations looked to an uncertain future while restaurants worked tirelessly to keep afloat serving take out and in some cases giving away food to first responders, essential workers and others working in the food and beverage industry. As the year went on, businesses started to reopen and an altered life resumed. Sadly, many businesses did not make it through the pandemic and were forced to shutter. Listed below are the just some of the bars are restaurants we lost in 2020 (Not all due to COVID-19):
Acadian Bakery
Alice’s Tall Texan
Barry’s Pizza
Bernie’s Burger Bus
Bistro Province
Blackbirds Izakaya
Chicken & Rice Guys
Coterie
Dolce Vita
Emmaline
Good Dog Hot Dog
Guava Lamp
Helen in the Heights
Ibiza Food & Wine Bar
Indika
Morningstar
Night Heron
Nit Noi Cafe
Patrenella’s
Penny Quarter
Pepper Tree
Poitín Bar & Kitchen
Sam’s Fried Chicken & Donuts
The Classic
The Tasting Room
Treebeards
Tropicales
Yia Yia Mary’s
To the men and women who work tirelessly in the hospitality industry, we thank you. It is sometimes a thankless industry and this year you really went to bat for your community when it was needed most.
Before we move into a new year, I ask that if you visit a bar or restaurant, if you can please tip and consider being extra generous to your servers and waitstaff. If so inclined, I would also encourage you to join me in making a donation to Southern Smoke which provides crisis relief to those working in the food and beverage industry. Southern Smoke is a great 501c3 foundation that was founded by local chef Chris Shepherd back in 2015. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, the Southern Smoke Emergency Relief Fund has distributed $4,414,592 to 2,227 people nationwide. If you can, please make a donation by clicking here.
Thank you all for following Bite Me Houston this year and I hope I can bring you some big things in the New Year. Please be safe, be responsible and I hope you all have a Happy New Year!
