Houston’s newest family-friendly restaurant has opened its doors. Recess offers a number of amenities designed to appeal to busy families.
Located on the border of Montrose and River Oaks (1500 Waugh Dr.), the two-story venue offers two climate-controlled playgrounds downstairs — the Garden, designed for children ages 1-3 where parents are present, and the Canopy, a larger area for kids 4-11 that’s supervised by trained professionals. Once parents check their kids in at the Canopy, they can go upstairs to the restaurant for a meal that’s uninterrupted by their kids.
In an interview on CultureMap’s “What’s Eric Eating” podcast, founders JD Davy and Paul Rice explain that they wanted to create a venue that would serve parents like themselves who wanted a family-friendly dining option with good quality food, wine, and cocktails.
“We felt like there was this massive gap in the market between places designed entirely for children and places designed for adults. There weren’t many places where families could enjoy spending time together,” Davy says.
“We settled on Recess after we asked a simple question — What if there was a place designed for both kids and adults? A place where kids could have an incredible play experience while parents could enjoy great coffee, food, or a glass of wine while getting some work done or meeting a friend,” he adds.
Recess worked with Houston firm Rootlab on its play area. The Canopy offers a series of climbing structures and slides that allow kids to explore the entire area. Davy and Rice hired consultants to ensure the structures are as safe as possible.
“It’s museum-quality design and finishes. It looks gorgeous,” Rice says. “It’s super safe. We’ve had ADA consultants, fire consultants, you name it, we’ve had consultants sign off on it. As far as it being safe, no question whatsoever.”
Access to the play area is only available with a reservation. Parents have various pricing options, including monthly memberships that offer up to 12 hours per week of play — $130 for weekday-only or $180 for all week, with discounts available for additional children.
Hourly prices start at $18.50 per hour for the first child, $14 per hour for the second child, and $10 for each additional child, but parents can pay an annual fee of $50 per child that unlocks a 20 percent discount on hourly rates. Of course, Recess has separate rates for birthday parties and other events. Children must wear grippy socks in the play area, which are available for $2 per pair for kids who don’t bring their own from home.
Reservations allow Recess to limit the number of children playing at any given time, and the play area’s employees are all trained to keep kids safe. It's that staff, and the air conditioning, that differentiates Recess from other restaurants with playgrounds such as Long Weekend.
“We’ve got women with teaching backgrounds, nursing backgrounds all working to create this environment where parents can watch their kids play from upstairs,” Rice adds. “It’s designed to allow helicopter parents to separate for a bit where they can see everything is okay but actually talk without an iPad being flung at them.”
Davy and Rice worked with Scott Sulma of May I Speak Hospitality Consulting on Recess’ food and beverage offerings. The menu leans into classic American fare, with options such as chips and queso, deviled eggs, flatbreads, sandwiches, and mains such as steak frites and grilled salmon. Sulma also created a wine list that draws on his time as the general manager at Tony’s and an area director for Atlas Restaurant Group (Loch Bar, Marmo).
The kids menu covers all the familiar bases, including a cheeseburger, crispy (or grilled) chicken bites, grilled cheese, chicken or beef tacos, and buttered penne pasta.
“The food is good but its still approachable. Think like a Local Foods or Hudson House, good quality food that’s approachable,” Davy says.
“Relish is the most immediate comp we like to use,” Rice adds. “Kids have to eat the food. We’re not going to serve them anything [too gourmet].”
While people without children are welcome to dine at Recess, the partners are realistic about who their audience is. "There is not a single dollar in our model for a person who comes without kids," Rice affirms.
Recess opens daily at 8 am.
