introducing the marigold club

Power Houston hospitality group taps fine dining chef for new Montrose restaurant

Austin Waiter will lead The Marigold Club.

Photo by Emily Jaschke

One of Houston's most prominent restaurant groups has revealed its latest project. Goodnight Hospitality will open The Marigold Club in the former Goodnight Charlie's space.

To bring The Marigold Club to life, Goodnight partners Bailey and Peter McCarthy recruited Tony's chef Austin Waiter to be the new restaurant's executive chef and partner. Details are light, but Waiter's menu will focus on modern continental cuisine paired with Goodnight's signature flair for design and first-rate beverage offerings.

"I'm thrilled to be joining forces with the Goodnight Hospitality team,” Waiter said in a statement. "When I first heard about The Marigold Club, I was hooked. I've been searching for a place that is inventive, hip, and exciting with a talented team to learn from. The team and I are aligned in cultivating a dining experience that is built to transport our customers. I love how much thought and detail the Goodnight team puts into their concepts. I can’t wait to get started.”

The Marigold Club will join tasting menu restaurant March, casual Rosie Cannonball, and Montrose Cheese & Wine at the Goodnight Hospitality complex on Westheimer. Goodnight chef-partner Felipe Riccio sees Waiter as an ideal fit for the new restaurant, which will draw upon a culinary philosophy that dominated post war America but has since fallen out of fashion.

"The goal with The Marigold Club is to tap into the wealth of variety that modern continental cuisine will afford us, while still keeping our eye on a foundation," Riccio said. "The menu will take cues from a French and American era of cooking that, as young chefs, Austin and I didn’t get to personally execute in a kitchen but still made up a big part of our culinary training. Modernizing that style of cooking with our own take will be exciting."

Those who have long memories of the Houston culinary scene will recall that the McCarthys once planned to open a restaurant with former Tony's chef Grant Gordon, but his unexpected death meant those plans never came to fruition. The Marigold Club isn't intended to replace The Edmont, but the connection is worth noting.

"Grant Gordon was singular,” Bailey McCarthy said. "It would be impossible to recreate his vision without him, and we would never try. That said, Pete and I hold his memory close in everything we do. It is meaningful to us that Grant and Austin worked together, albeit briefly, and we hope we all make him proud with The Marigold Club.”

Waiter became Tony's chef de cuisine in 2017 at the age of 26. He earned raves for his ability to balance the restaurant's classic dishes with his own flair. Starting at a new concept without any expectations for specific dishes means the sky's the limit for the talented chef.

"I’m thrilled to partner with Austin on The Marigold Club," Riccio added. "His command of an institution like Tony’s has always inspired me. I think the freedom that this concept will provide him will really showcase his talents.”

news-you-can-eat openings

Stay trill, owls

Bun B serves up smash hit smash burgers at Houston's Rice University

Photo by Quit Nguyen

Bun B is bringing Trill Burgers to Rice University.

Faculty, students, and staff at Rice University will have a fresh new dining option when classes resume for the fall semester. Trill Burgers will open its fourth Houston-area location on campus beginning Monday, August 17.

Located at the Rice Memorial Center, the new Trill Burgers will serve the restaurant’s signature smash burgers, which are available in either beef or vegan versions. That starts with the OG Trill Burger, made with two smashed beef patties, pickles, caramelized onions, Trill Sauce, and American cheese on a Martin’s potato roll. A vegan version uses plant-based smashed patties, vegan sauce, and vegan cheese. Burgers will be sold individually or as a combo with fries and a drink. Students will be able to use their campus dining dollars (Tetra) to purchase their meals.

Bun B, a Houston hip-hop legend and co-founder of Trill Burgers, has long had ties to Rice University. In 2011, 2013, and 2015, he served as a distinguished lecturer, co-teaching Religion and Hip-Hop Culture with Anthony Pinn, the Agnes Cullen Arnold Distinguished Professor of the Humanities.

“This is truly full circle for me,” Bun B said in a statement. “To bring this brand to Rice University where I once taught is a major moment for Trill Burgers and for myself.”

In addition to Trill Burgers, Rice is also home to locations of breakfast favorite Dandelion Cafe and salad and sandwich concept Local Foods Market.

“We are excited to build upon this long-standing relationship while giving the Rice community an authentic taste of Houston,” Beth Leaver, Rice’s assistant vice president of housing, dining, and hospitality, added. “Trill Burgers brings a distinctive and celebrated part of Houston’s culinary culture to the Rice campus. I am often asked about adding a great burger option, and this partnership fills an important gap in our dining portfolio.”

While the restaurant is open to the general public, its proximity to the original Trill Burgers location (3607 S. Shepherd Dr.) means it will likely appeal primarily to people who are already on campus. Initially, the restaurant will be open from 11 am-5 pm.

Opening at Rice comes at a time of continued growth for Trill Burgers. In December, the restaurant opened in Missouri City. It is expected to open a new location at Westheimer and Hillcroft (7616 Westheimer Rd.) as soon as this month.

burgers rice university openings bun b trill burgers