Tag Archives: Texas Restaurant Association

Multiple restaurants hit by “bad Google review” scam

Posted on July 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is on Google to fix. Multiple Houston restaurants are being targeted by a scam involving one-star Google reviews and a demand for digital gift cards to remove the negative post. The number of restaurants being extorted has grown in … Continue reading →

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Council adopts vape extension to smoking ban

Posted on March 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The city outlawed vaping in public spaces Wednesday, amending Houston’s smoking ordinance to include electronic cigarettes. City Council voted 16-0 to approve the amendment, proposed last year by the Houston Health Department in response to growing scientific consensus on … Continue reading →

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More eating outdoors downtown

Posted on March 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is a good idea, and I’m glad it’s being continued. DINING IN DOWNTOWN HOUSTON CAN be a hassle, what with the limited parking and COVD-19 restrictions affecting seating space at so many eateries. Fortunately, the city of Houston is … Continue reading →

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City Council to consider adding vapes to smoking ordinance

Posted on March 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds reasonable. I’ll be interested to hear what the opponents have to say. City Council on Wednesday will consider a proposal to bar the use of e-cigarettes and any kind of vaping in public spaces under Houston’s smoking ordinance. The … Continue reading →

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Alcohol to go passes both chambers

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Off to get a signature. The Texas Senate on Wednesday passed a measure to permanently allow Texans to purchase alcohol to-go from restaurants, advancing a shared goal of Gov. Greg Abbott and restaurateurs. House Bill 1024, which cleared the lower chamber last … Continue reading →

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Booze to go set to go

Posted on March 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Texas House has passed legislation that would allow restaurants to sell alcohol to go beyond the coronavirus pandemic. The chamber signed off on House Bill 1024 to permanently allow beer, wine and mixed drinks to be included in … Continue reading →

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Drinks to go on the legislative menu

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Looks likely to succeed. As the 87th legislature kicks into high gear in Austin tomorrow, a new bill introduced in both the Texas House and Senate is aiming to make to-go alcohol from restaurants and bars permanent. Venues in Texas … Continue reading →

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The regional COVID situation

Posted on December 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Not great, Bob. COVID-19 is surging across southeast Texas, especially in the suburban counties outside of Houston, which have seen a steady increase in the number of new cases, data show. Galveston, Chambers, Brazoria, Liberty, and Montgomery counties have all … Continue reading →

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The bar conundrum

Posted on December 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. Halloween this year in downtown Austin was a raucous affair. Nightclubs advertised dancing and drink specials. Thousands of people crowded 6th Street, partying shoulder to shoulder, some with masks and some without. All of this happened as bars in … Continue reading →

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It’s still hard out here on bars and restaurants

Posted on August 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I continue to worry about our once-thriving hospitality industry. Hundreds of Texas bars and restaurants are scrambling to change how they operate, maneuvering through loopholes that will allow them to reopen after being closed by Gov. Greg Abbott’s latest shutdown … Continue reading →

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Beer gardens get jerked around

Posted on July 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

First, we had this. Saint Arnold Brewing announced Monday that it will temporarily close its beer garden and restaurant. The reason? Gov. Greg Abbott’s office ruled it is a bar, not a restaurant, and therefore should close according to the … Continue reading →

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Wineries and distilleries

Posted on July 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m happy to keep beating this drum, but I’d really rather not have to. The owners and patrons of Ironroot Republic Distillery in Denison hardly consider the business to be a bar in the traditional sense. There’s no loud music … Continue reading →

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Give the bars a break

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m OK with this. The Texas Restaurant Association has asked Gov. Greg Abbott to revise the definitions of “bar” in his recent order closing drinking establishments in response to a spike in COVID-19 cases. In a letter to the governor, … Continue reading →

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The pause effect on bars and restaurants

Posted on June 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I feel terrible for them, but what could we do at this point? Ed Noyes was trying to get some shut-eye when he woke up to seven different texts Friday morning. Three of the five bartenders at his Fort Worth … Continue reading →

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Have we gone from “concerned” to “alarmed” yet?

Posted on June 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We’re getting there. With cases of the coronavirus surging to record levels in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott recommended Tuesday that Texans stay home as much as possible and for the first time moved to allow the tightening of two kinds … Continue reading →

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Hidalgo issues new mask order

Posted on June 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Greg Abbott said we could, so there. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued an order Friday mandating that businesses require customers to wear masks, her latest effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. She and other county leaders … Continue reading →

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Day One of reopening

Posted on May 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder, this is where we started. Texas reported 50 more COVID-19 deaths on Thursday, the most in any one day since the state reported its first deaths in mid-March. The state also reported it had added more than … Continue reading →

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Reopening roundup

Posted on April 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Judge Hidalgo adjusts to the new status that has ben imposed on us from Austin. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Tuesday announced plans to significantly expand novel coronavirus case tracing, and maintain reserve hospital capacity, to prepare for a … Continue reading →

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The local plea to reopen

Posted on April 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I have a lot of sympathy, but I don’t think this is a great idea. A coalition of 350 local businesses is urging Mayor Sylvester Turner and County Judge Lina Hidalgo to begin May 1 to ease stay-at-home restrictions meant … Continue reading →

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Bars and clubs to be closed

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Man, the effect of the coronavirus pandemic is going to be huge even if everything goes well. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Monday ordered all bars and clubs countywide to close for 15 days, … Continue reading →

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Back to the barbecue battle

Posted on July 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Once again, Sid Miller makes us pay attention to something we shouldn’t have to. Texas’ barbecue culture is sacred. But some pitmasters are catching heat from a former rodeo cowboy overseeing the state Department of Agriculture. Commissioner Sid Miller is … Continue reading →

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Paxton versus Miller on barbecue

Posted on April 26, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Just embrace the fact that this is the world we live in. A nonbinding opinion issued Monday by Attorney General Ken Paxton continues a battle between lawmakers, restaurants and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller over regulation of scales used to measure … Continue reading →

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Food trucks

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The city of San Antonio is preparing to overhaul its regulations of food trucks. In San Antonio, strict mobile food vending laws make it difficult for food trucks to flourish. Acknowledging the need for change, officials are jump-starting a process … Continue reading →

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Banning trans fats

Posted on April 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I haven’t really followed the anti-trans fat bill very closely, but if it’s worth a front page headline, it’s worth a mention here. Lawmakers in coming weeks will consider bills by Houston state Rep. Carol Alvarado and state Sen. Eliot … Continue reading →

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Another step forward for a statewide smoking ban

Posted on February 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The statewide smoking ban proposals picked up the endorsement of the state restaurant association. On Monday, the Texas Restaurant Association voted to support the measure – one they say would “level the playing field” for establishments across Texas. “With 28 … Continue reading →

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