One of the most iconic names in Texas barbecue has closed its Houston-area location. Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que ceased operations on Monday, November 21.

A sign posted at the door read as follows: “We are sad to inform you this location is permanently closed, and we are sorry for any inconvenience.” A call to the restaurant’s listed phone number went unanswered, and its social media pages on Instagram and Facebook are offline.

CultureMap has contacted the restaurant for comment about the closure and will update this article when it responds.

Opened in late 2019, the Katy location of Cooper’s replicated part of the experience of visiting the company’s iconic location in Llano, Texas. For example, the restaurant cooked some its proteins over direct heat, which is also known as “cowboy style.” Available meats include standard items such as brisket, pork ribs, and sausage as well as prime rib and Cooper’s signature “Big Chop,” a 2-inch thick, bone-in pork chop Diners ordered their selections by-the-pound from a serving pit before ordering sides separately.

Whether it was poor timing due to the COVID-19 pandemic or other factors, the restaurant didn’t seem to catch on with locals. It had a low 3.5-stars on Google and a disappointing 2.5-star rating on Yelp. Members of Katy/Fort Bend Foodies, a Facebook group with over 50,000 people, shared reactions that ranged from disappointment about the closure to complaints about pricing and food quality.

Opening in Katy had been part of the company’s plans to expand across Texas. Its other expansion locations in Austin, New Braunfels, Fort Worth, and College Station remain open.

Those looking for barbecue in Katy have a number of options to consider. Briargrove favorite Roegels Barbecue opened a Katy location earlier this year. Brett’s Barbecue Shop, ranked among the state’s top 50 barbecue restaurants by Texas Monthly, will soon open its new location near Katy Mills Mall.