The Leader • Saturday, May 21, 2022 • Page 9
Detective work keeps burger joint’s opening on track By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
The local restaurant group that owned Piper’s BBQ & Beer has been working on a new concept for the building at 2323 N. Shepherd Dr. Piper’s Burger is set to open later this month, but for a little while it did not look like that was going to be possible. Ryan Manos, the operations manager for the company, said a series of recent burglaries resulted in the loss of the upcoming restaurant’s water heater, camera and stereo systems, some of its kitchen equipment, all of its beer and even a 3-gallon tub of ice cream. But many of the items were recovered last week by detectives with the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office, and now Piper’s Burger plans to open May 26, according to Manos. “We would have had to push back the opening,” Manos said. “We didn’t have a water heater. You can’t open a restaurant without a water heater. “Now we’re back on track to open up,” he added. Cpl. Joe Bowden with the constable’s office, who recovered the stolen items along with Cpl. Joe Brown, said Monday that one man is suspected of breaking into the building on the night of May 2 and stealing more than $5,600 worth of property. Bowden said he could not name the suspected thief, because criminal charges were pending. Many of the stolen items were found in an abandoned garage less than a block away from the restaurant, according to Bowden, who said he and Brown learned of the location through a person who had bought the tank-less water heater from the thief and listed it for sale on OfferUp, an online marketplace. Restaurant co-owner Justin Piper had found the water heater online and arranged to buy it while being accompanied by one of the detectives, according to Manos. “Sure enough, it was our water heater,” Manos said. “It even smelled like brisket.” Bowden said the May 2 incident was the only burglary reported to the constable’s office by the restaurant. Manos said it was the fourth break-in in the span of about a month, with the first three limited to the storage area out-
Contributed photo Cpl. Joe Brown, left, and Cpl. Joe Bowden with the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office recently recovered property that was stolen from Piper’s Burger, 2323 N. Shepherd Dr., and stashed in an abandoned garage less than one block away.
side the kitchen and dining room. After surveying the items that were recovered last week, Manos said it became apparent that the same person or group of people had been responsible for each burglary. “They just took more and more,” he said. Not all the missing items were recovered, Manos said, but Piper’s Burger has enough to proceed with its May 26 opening. The restaurant will be open from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily and serve smash burgers along with handcut fries and onion rings as well as beer, Manos said. With Piper’s BBQ & Beer having closed in November of last year, after being open for a little more than a year, Piper’s Burger will be the second concept currently operated by the restau-
rant group, which also owns Preslee’s – Southern Good Eatery, 1430 W. 19th St. Manos said there also are plans to open Piper’s Cantina at 1815 Mangum Rd. The owners are brothers Brandon, Justin and Weston Piper. Deputies with the constable’s office played the roles of food servers on May 1 at Preslee’s, where they collected donations for Special Olympics Texas in exchange for their service. Less than two weeks later, Bowden and Brown served the restaurant group by recovering its stolen items. “We are thankful for the relationship we have with the constable’s office,” Manos said. “Whenever something happens, we usually call Precinct 1 to come out and help.”
Photo by Adam Zuvanich Piper’s Burger is scheduled to open May 26 at 2323 N. Shepherd Dr., the former location of Piper’s BBQ & Beer.
Central City Co-Op purchases new Heights property By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
The Central City Co-Op has operated without a permanent home for nearly 25 years. It appears the organization has now found one, and it’s exactly where its owners want to be. The co-op announced May 11 on Facebook that it had purchased the property at 2515 Harvard St. in the Heights as the new home for its brick-and-mortar store. It previously was leasing space at 420 E. 20th St. and moved out in mid-April. Central City is not yet open for everyday walk-ins at the new location, co-owner Jessica Wilt said, but it is hoping to return to that model within a month. “Our base really wanted us to stay in the Heights,” she said.
The organic co-op has existed for nearly 25 years, serving as a place where co-op members as well as other members of the community can find farm-fresh produce and other food items. For a time, it operated out of Ecclesia Houston just north of downtown, and then Grace Lutheran Church, which later became Kindred church in the Hyde Park area. It moved to the Heights in 2020 and operated out of a space on East 20th Street until its lease ended last month. Wilt, who co-owns the co-op with her husband, Erick, said the pair and their team looked at several different spaces for a new home. One emerged in the form of a space they had previously looked at, through what Wilt called “sheer luck.” “We knew that space had come up before, but someone had paid cash for it and we didn’t have a chance to buy it,”
Photo by Adam Zuvanich A sign is up outside the new Central City Co-Op property at 2515 Harvard St. in the Heights. The organization, which has not yet opened daily operations there, announced the purchase on May 11.
she said. “As we were looking at spaces in the neighborhood, my husband saw that it came up again. We really had to move quickly.” After finding it, Wilt said
28 members of the co-op invested more than $1 million in about two weeks in order to purchase the Harvard Street property in cash. Co-op member and commercial real-
tor Brett Huey of Rainhollow Properties helped navigate the purchase, according to Wilt. “(Brett) really understood the vision of the co-op, and he really understood what it is that we needed and wanted,” Wilt said. “For us, the property is perfectly situated, and is a size that we can expand and grow. It has really great bones, and we’re just so lucky and thankful for everyone who was able to help us secure it.” The space has everything they could ask for, according to Wilt. Currently, the co-op supports dozens of farmers and about 90 vendors. “A lot of those vendors are coming to us because they cannot afford their own space due to the commercialization of our neighborhood,” Wilt said. Though it is not open every day, Wilt said customers can still place orders online
for pickup at the new co-op location. She said Central City Co-Op is partnering with Verdegreen Farms, 1208 Bland St., to use its certified food preparation space. Once an online order is placed, it is prepared at Verdegreen and then taken to the co-op, where farmers and vendors can pick them up from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. every Wednesday, according to Wilt. A grand opening date has not yet been determined, Wilt said. But in the meantime, she said the organization is still committed to supporting farmers and small purveyors in Houston. “The thing we’ve seen with this co-op is the ability for Houston to come together,” she said. “…We’re thankful for all of the outreach and all the positive energy that’s come from all of our partners who have worked to support us.”
Nibbles & Sips: Domain Heights hosting tequila tasting event By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
A traveling tequila tasting event will take place at Domain Heights, a luxury Heights apartment complex at 401 W. 25th St., from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday. The “Nach-Yo Ordinary Tequila Tasting” is being hosted by Food and Vine Time. Attendees will be able to “sip and savor” tequila, mezcal and other agave spirits served both neat and blended into craft cocktails, according to the event webpage. Also included with a ticket purchase will be food from Harold’s Restaurant, Bar and Rooftop Terrace as well as Studewood Cantine, among other Houston-area restaurants, and a gourmet nacho bar courtesy of H-E-B. Tickets for the event begin at $45 and can be purchased online. There is also a VIP ticket available for $75, which includes a conversation with
Photo from Facebook Domain Heights is hosting a traveling tequila tasting event at the apartment complex this weekend.
Houston-based El Tesoro Tequila ambassador Tyler Wang at 4:30 p.m. prior to the event. For more information on the event or to purchase tickets, those interested in at-
tending can go to foodandvinetime.com/events/2022/ nach-yo-ordinary-tequila-tasting-2022-theheights. New bar coming to 20th
Street There is a new bar concept coming to the Heights that aims to keep with the neighborhood’s walkable environment. According to a report from Houston CultureMap, Zach Harris – who owns Drift Bar at 1207 W. 20th St. – plans to open a new spot called Heights Social this fall. The report says Heights Social will be located at 1213 W. 20th St., next door to Drift, and feature more than 8,000 square feet of bar and entertainment space along with more than 50 TVs. Heights Social will offer cocktails, martinis and a “full kitchen” of food options such as pizza and weekend brunch, according to CultureMap. For more information, follow Heights Social on Instagram @heightssocialhouston. Sonoma finds new home at Stomping Grounds Earlier this month, we re-
ported that the popular Sonoma Wine Bar & Restaurant was closing the doors on its Studewood location. But local wine lovers and Sonoma regulars will be glad to know that Sonona is relocating to another part of the area. According to a May 13 Facebook post, the wine bar has found a new home in the Stomping Grounds development on West 34th Street in Garden Oaks. The post said Sonoma is shooting to be open by the holiday season. The wine bar, which also
operates locations in the Katy and Upper Kirby areas, will offer retail wine as well as a tasting bar and temperaturecontrolled wine storage at its Garden Oaks location, according to the Facebook post. “Thank you to #TeamSonoma for your amazing dedication and professionalism,” owner Farrah Cauley wrote on Facebook. “I raise my glass to you all.” To stay up-to-date with the new location, follow the restaurant on Facebook or visit sonomahouston.com.
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