Last call for Luby's?

Beloved Texas cafeteria chain announces plan for imminent closure

Looks like Luby's has almost reached the end.

Luby's/Facebook

UPDATE: On September 9, Luby's sent the following statement to CultureMap, penned by its chief operating officer, Todd Coutee:

Regarding our recent press release, we want to be clear that we currently operate 80 Luby's and Fuddruckers locations open to serve our guests! We are here today and plan to be here for a long time. Our team members are Delighted to Serve guests and look forward to serving them during the upcoming holidays and beyond. We greatly value our loyal guests and invite them to continue to come out and dine in with us, or get our great food to go.

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Looks like the days of LuAnn platters are coming to an end. Luby's board of directors has "approved and adopted a plan of liquidation and dissolution," the company announced.

The plan will need to be approved by the company's shareholders. A date for that vote was not included in today's announcement.

Previously, Luby's stated it would seek a sale of its assets that would pay off its debts and generate money for its stockholders. Following the liquidation plan will generate between $92 million and $123 million, according to the company's estimates. That represents between $3 and $4 per share of its stock (approximately 30.7 million shares outstanding).

"This plan of liquidation is the next logical step in the company's previously announced plan to maximize value of the company through the sale of its operations and assets," Gerald Bodzy and Randolph Read, co-chairmen of the special committee responsible for the decision, said in a statement. "Our stockholders have expressed their support for seeking alternatives to continuing to operate the company's restaurants in their current form, and we believe the plan of liquidation will allow the company to accomplish that task in the most efficient manner."

Ultimately, the company intends to converts all of its assets into cash, resolve its debts, and then file a certificate of dissolution. Its stock (NYSE: LUB) would be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange at that point or possibly sooner according to the exchange's rules.

While a slim possibility exists that a buyer could be found that would keep the Houston-based cafeteria chain whole — Luby's also owns Fuddrucker's — the more likely plan seems to be that the restaurants will close and the company's real estate holdings and other assets will be sold. Still, the company argues that a buyer who might preserve the restaurants is possible.

"We believe that moving forward with a plan of liquidation will maximize value for our stockholders, while also preserving the flexibility to pursue a sale of the company should a compelling offer that delivers superior value be made," Luby's president and CEO Christopher J. Pappas added. "The Plan also continues to provide for the potential to place the restaurant operations with well-capitalized owners moving forward."

Luby's potential closure has triggered a wave of nostalgia for its classic comfort food, unpretentious atmosphere, and affordable prices. Odes to its staple dishes — the square-shaped fried fish, chicken fried steak, and mac and cheese are all fan favorites — have been circulating online. Texas Monthly executive editor Mimi Schwartz penned a personal essay about her deep connection to the restaurant's location in the heart of Houston.

"Our Luby’s was located right between the nexus of Montrose and River Oaks and the old Fourth Ward, so it always had an eclectic crowd of straight and gay, rich and poor, old and young, Black, white, and just about everybody else you could imagine, including Houston cops and down-on-their-luck types who had scraped together enough money for dinner and dessert," Schwartz writes.

Diners still have time to make another visit or two. Currently, 13 Luby's locations are open in Houston, plus additional outposts in Katy, Stafford, The Woodlands, Cypress, and Conroe. The company has locations across Texas, including Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, and its original home of San Antonio.

Stockholders will be asked to approve other provisions, including whether to eliminate the company's "poison pill" rights agreement, shrink the size of the board of directors, and permit actions of stockholders by written consent. The board of director has already unanimously approved all of the special recommendations.

Duff & Phelps Securities, LLC acted as financial advisor, and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP served as legal advisor to the special committee.

news-you-can-eat closings

we gotta go

Beard Award-winning Houston chef's new restaurant now open in Montrose

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

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Houston may be home to an ever-increasing number of James Beard Award-winning chefs, but a new restaurant from a JBA winner is still a special moment in the city’s culinary landscape.

Which means the city’s dining enthusiasts are undeniably excited to welcome House of Louie, the new project Justin Yu, winner of Best Chef: Southwest in 2016 for Oxheart, his groundbreaking, vegetable-focused tasting menu restaurant. He placed it with Theodore Rex, a modern American restaurant that holds a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide. Part of Thorough Fare, the company he co-owns with Anvil founder Bobby Heugel, House of Louie is the group’s first new restaurant since Squable opened in 2019 and first opening since Heights cocktail bar Donna’s debuted last year.

As Yu explained on a July episode of CultureMap’s “What’s Eric Eating” podcast, the decision to open House of Louie came about from the opportunity to buy the property at 1931 Fairview that had been home to the original location of healthy-eating concept Vibrant.

“The real estate came at the right time. The space is beautiful. We’re so lucky to be part of this neighborhood,” Yu explained.

As for the name, Yu is honoring a Chinese restaurant his aunts operated in Southern California for more than 30 years. The original House of Louie hosted many family celebrations, and it’s also the first restaurant he worked in as a dishwasher.

“It was one of those places where there was a little more to it than what you expected. That’s the restaurant I want to have here,” Yu said. Later, he added, “It’s how I fell in love with restaurants.”

Inspired primarily by French and Italian cuisine, meals at House of Louie begin with cold dishes such as the house salad with lettuce, cheese, charcuterie, and quail eggs; marinated plums; yellowtail crudo; or “Nervetti,” thinly-sliced beef tendon with onions that’s finished with sherry and vinegar.

“I think beef tendon is really accepted in Houston, especially because we have a strong pho culture. Tendon can be a little out there, but it has a beautiful melting texture,” Yu said.

From there, diners may choose from a selection of shareable small plates such as mushroom and peppers with spicy ratatouille, squash with king salmon, or one of three pastas, all of which are made in house. The pici pasta is a thin, handmade pasta that gets some crunch from crispy chicken skin.

Entrees lean classic, with items like red snapper with beurre blanc, grilled duck that gets a boost of umami from colatura (an Italian take on fish sauce), and a Texas wagyu couotte that’s served with a sauce of madeira and onions. The French dip from Yuston’s, Yu’s homage to celebrated American grill Houston’s, is also available.

“The type of place we want to be is — if you feel like you’re a little underdressed, it’s okay to come in and get amazing service and great food. And also spend hours ahead of time picking out your outfit and coming out for a date night or a friend’s night or a night out with the guys,” Yu said.

“It’s a place that’s going to have a sandwich and makes its own fries. We’re also going to have really aggressive dishes that swing for the fences and push the limits of creativity, even though its slightly rustic.”

Yu worked with Garnish Design (Milton’s, Tiny Champions), ObjektFab, and Ford Design Finishes to transform Vibrant into House of Louie. Overall, the room has a modern feel — almost like your cool uncle’s living room. The design speaks to the kind of atmosphere Yu is aiming to achieve.

“More than anything, I want people to connect with the restaurant. If we accidentally get a Michelin Star because we do all the things the right way, and cook excellent food, and take care of all the little details . . . I wouldn’t be mad. That’s our goal in the first place,” he said.

Joining the project are general manager Tyler Jay Wang (most recently of Donna’s) and executive chef Kirk Thompson, who worked for various Underbelly Hospitality concepts and served as the executive chef at Leo’s River Oaks when it won Best New Restaurant in the 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards. Diners may also recognize bartenders Lainey Collum (most recently of Monkey’s Tail) and Máté Hartai (Lee’s, Refuge).

House of Louie is currently open for dinner daily beginning at 4:30 pm. Friday lunch and weekend brunch service will begin in the coming weeks.

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

House of Louie is now open in Montrose.