What's Eric Eating Episode 55

What's brewing at 8th Wonder, plus Houston's next hot restaurant 'hood

On this week's episode of What's Eric Eating, 8th Wonder Brewery president and co-founder Ryan Soroka joins CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler to discuss the latest goings-on with his growing business. The conversation begins with 8th Wonder's newest beers, including the hip-hop series that features collaborations with local rappers, as well as an update on the brewery's compansion distillery, which will launch later this summer with vodka and gin.

After discussing the explosive growth of Houston's patio bars, Sandler asks Soroka to opine on what other trends he's seeing around the city. Somewhat surprisingly, he touts the growth of craft beer in Houston's suburbs.

"I think traditionally they've been a little neglected, not necessarily on purpose, but a lot of the development hot spots and the places that get all the media attention tend to be inside the Loop or inside the Beltway," Soroka says. "There are fast growing communities, young communities that want lifestyle and entertainment options as well. They don't want to come into town to commute for these options; they want them in their backyard. Katy, hotspot. The Woodlands, hot. Sugar Land, still growing. Pearland, one of the fastest growing areas in the country. These quote-unquote suburbs of Houston are new areas of growth for the food and beverage industry. We hope to expand our presence and awareness in those new markets." (What's Eric Eating is partially sponsored by 8th Wonder Brewery.)

Prior to Soroka joining the show, local food enthusiast Matt Harris joins Sandler to discuss the news of the week. Their topics include Walk-On's Bistreaux & Bar's plans to expand to Houston, the closure of Brooklyn Athletic Club, and whether the opening of Might as Well Lounge and Boozenasium means Spring Branch is about to become Houston's next hot restaurant neighborhood. In the restaurant of the week segment, Sandler and Harris, who recently returned from a trip to Japan, have an extensive discussion about their visit to Nobu; they also share some thoughts on newly-opened East Hampton Sandwich Co.

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8th Wonder just introduced Procrastinator Session IPA.

Courtesy photo

8th Wonder just introduced Procrastinator Session IPA.

news-you-can-eat craft-beer podcasts openings

Relish responds

Houston restaurant breaks silence about wage theft allegations

Photo by Julie Soefer

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A Houston restaurant has broken its silence about a lawsuit that accuses it of wage theft. Relish Restaurant & Bar issued a statement about allegations made by an employee that it improperly allocated money from the restaurant’s tip pool:

For more than a decade, we've worked hard to build a restaurant where our employees feel valued and respected. Our team is central to everything we do, and we take our responsibilities to them seriously. We remain committed to fair and lawful employment practices, and firmly deny the allegations that have been made. Given that this is an ongoing legal matter, we will not comment further at this time. Thank you for understanding.

According to an article in the Houston Chronicle, employee Michael Baron alleges that Relish and its owners, Addie and Dustin Teague:

Used his and other employees’ tips to pay the maitre’d, who also had managerial roles, such as disciplining employees. The maitre’d was allegedly paid at least $21,000 in 2026 from pooled tips, according to the lawsuit. The maitre'd position is not included in the restaurant's notice about which workers get paid from the pool, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit further alleges that the practices at Relish’s Town & Country location violated the Fair Labor Standards Act, the federal law that governs how tipped employees are paid. Under the law, restaurants are allowed to pay tipped employees as little as $2.13 per hour, because the vast majority of their income is generated by customers’ tips. The law also governs which other employees — such as bartenders and other customer-facing positions — are eligible to receive a share of an employee’s tips. Salaried managers or employees in supervisory roles are not eligible to receive tips.

Baron is represented by attorney Josef F. Buenker, whose firm specializes in employment law, as noted by its domain name houstonovertimelawyer.com.

In March, a federal court ruled that Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille must pay $21 million for misallocating tips to more than 700 servers.

Relish is known for its classic American fare such as burgers, fried chicken, steaks, salad, and seafood. Its River Oaks location, which has been open since 2016, will soon close before moving to the RO mixed-used development next year. Relish’s Town & Country location will remain open.

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