another coney closure
Iconic Houston hot dog restaurant quietly closes Galleria-area location
James Coney Island has closed another prominent location.
Another location of James Coney Island has served its last hot dog. The restaurant's Westheimer location in the Galleria area quietly closed last weekend. A note in the window reads as follows:
Dear JCI Customer, We made the difficult decision to permanently close this location. We are tremendously grateful for your patronage at Westheimer for many years. We are a small, local business and we hope you will continue to support us at our other Houston Area locations. In fact, our 99-year Houston tradition depends on your support. Please know that all employees from the location have been offered employment within the company.
Founded in 1923, James Coney Island is known primarily for its hot dogs, which are traditionally served with mustard, onions, cheese, and the restaurant's signature chili sauce. It operates nine Houston-area restaurants, including a Meyerland location that's approximately five miles from the shuttered Westheimer store.
The closure follows that of the company's last inner loop location at Shepherd and Richmond that shuttered in July as well as the closures of three other locations that are becoming outposts of Austin-based burrito restaurant Cabo Bob's. More locations could be closing in the future. Commercial real estate firm United Equities lists the Pasadena, east Houston (I-10 and Federal Rd.), and north Houston (I-45 and Crosstimbers) restaurants as being available for lease to new tenants.
As president Darrin Straughan told CultureMap at the time, the company has been selling off locations to reposition in smaller locations that are more suited for to-go business.
"We bought a lot of real estate 25 years ago when we started expanding Coney Island," he said in July. "They’re worth a lot of money today. The unit economics is too much to sell hot dogs out of. We made a decision to start selling off our real estate. We're going to open Coney Islands in smaller footprints with drive-thrus."
Straughan added that James Coney Island fans can expect a 100-year anniversary celebration in 2023 that honors the founding Papadakis family. Details will be announced in the months to come.
The Westheimer location won't stay empty for long. Real estate firm Littwitz Investments posted to Instagram that the property has already been sold and will be home to a new restaurant that's scheduled to open in spring 2023.
President David Littwitz told CultureMap in an email that he's "not allowed to say" who the buyer is, but rumors are quietly swirling that a prominent Midtown establishment has claimed the space. Expect more news soon.
