What's Eric Eating Episode 54

Houston restaurateur recounts Bourdain experience for first time, plus the dish on the latest openings

On this week's episode of "What's Eric Eating," Himalaya owner Kaiser Lashkari joins CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler to discuss his critically acclaimed Indo-Pak restaurant. The chef explains how he got into cooking as well as the career path that led him to open Himalaya in 2004.

Himalaya is one of only two local restaurants featured in the Houston episode of the CNN series Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown. For the first time, Lashkari explains how the show chose to film at his restaurant. (The podcast was taped just days before news on June 8 that Bourdain passed away of an apparent suicide.)

"I will tell you the the secret today, since you asked me," Lashkari says. "I asked the gentleman who was the first point of contact with the show. I said, 'why did you pick us?' He said that he picked this restaurant in particular, because this restaurant had the best reviews and the worst reviews. It was, like, there is a group that hates the ground he walks on, and there is a group that almost worships him. They love him or they hate him. That piqued his curiosity about Himalaya and made him try it."

Lashkari addresses a variety of other topics, including why he's not as worried about competing with other restaurants as he used to be, whether people should take his periodic threats to retire seriously, and what it's like to work alongside his wife Azra every day. Of course, the interview ends with the lightning round.

Prior to Lashkari joining the show, Sandler and Urban Swank blogger Felice Sloan discuss the news of the week. Their topics include the passing of legendary restaurateur Ella Brennan, the exciting lineup for this year's edition of Southern Smoke, and chef Richard Knight's recent departure from Harold's in the Heights. In the restaurants of week segement, they share their experiences at Kulture, the new concept from The Breakfast Klub owner Marcus Davis, and East Hampton Sandwich Co., the recently-opened Dallas-based sandwich shop.

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Subscribe to "What's Eric Eating" on iTunes or Google Play. Listen to it every Saturday at 11 am on SportsMap 94.1.

Himalaya's Kaiser Lashkari is this week's guest on What's Eric Eating.

Photo by Eric Sandler

Himalaya's Kaiser Lashkari is this week's guest on What's Eric Eating.

podcasts news-you-can-eat chefs

THE 'BUCKS STOP HERE

1 Houston-area Starbucks to shutter among 250 nationwide

Photo by ANKUR MADAN on Unsplash

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Starbucks is closing a Houston-area locations this week as part of a broader plan to shutter 250 underperforming stores across North America, the company says.

In a September 24 press release, chief operating officer Mike Grams revealed Starbucks would close the coffee shops where the company doesn't "see a path to acceptable financial performance" or locations where the company doesn't believe can "consistently deliver the experience [they] want" for customers and employees.

The Seattle-based coffee chain operates more than 40,000 coffee shops globally, and over 18,000 in North America. The recent closings make up about 1 percent of the total stores operating in North America alone.

Starbucks has not publicly released a list of the locations that will be closing, but an online list has been confirmed by CultureMap's content partner KVUE.

The Tanger Outlets Houston Starbucks at 5885 Gulf Freeway in Texas City is included in the list of closures. The Starbucks store locator indicates affected stores will be closed after Saturday, September 26.

Grams says the company is speaking directly with affected employees and will transfer them to other stores whenever possible. Employees who cannot secure transfers will receive severance support.

Other Starbucks locations in Texas that are set to close include:

Snider Plaza – 6733 Hillcrest Ave., Dallas, 75205
Preston & Alexis – 14760 Preston Rd., Dallas, 75254
6115 Camp Bowie – 6115 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, 76116
Hwy 59 & Miller St. – 202 Loop 59 N., Atlanta, 75551
Loop 360 & Westlake – 3801 N. Capital Of Texas Hwy., Austin, 78746
SR 71 & US 290 – 7015 W. U.S. Hwy. 290, Austin, 78736
N. Bell & 1431 – 1109 N. Bell Blvd., Cedar Park, 78613
S. Home St. & FM 942 – 609 S. Home St., Corrigan, 75939
Main St. & TX-361 – 2975 Main St., Ingleside, 78362
College & 9th – 812 College Ave., Levelland, 79336
Murphy & Blackburn – 6600 Murphy Rd., Sachse, 75048
Wurzbach Rd. & Gardendale St. – 8746 Wurzbach Road, San Antonio, 78240
FM 544 & Hwy 78 – 410 Highway 78, Wylie, 75098

"Every year we close some coffeehouses and open others as part of managing our portfolio," Grams says in the release. "And as we shared previously, we remain excited about the significant long-term growth opportunity ahead in North America."

In May, Starbucks said it would close some U.S. offices, including one in Dallas, and would lay off 300 corporate employees and as part of its ongoing turnaround.

Starbucks has been trying to reduce costs and complexity under Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol, who joined the company in 2024. Last year, the company laid off 2,000 corporate employees and closed hundreds of stores in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Niccol said last spring that the simplified structure would help the company innovate more quickly.

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This story contains material from the Associated Press.

starbucks closings coffee shop houston