that's a lot of popcorn

New Houston-area grocery stores offer shoppers bulk restaurant food and supplies without a membership

Four locations opened this week.

Courtesy of Gordon Food Service

Houstonians have a fresh new option for stocking up on groceries and party supplies. Gordon Food Service opened four stores this week with two more to follow soon.

Open this week:

Champions: 4701 FM 1960 W at Stuebner Airline
West Houston: 12533 Westheimer at Dairy Ashford
Katy: 649 S. Mason Road at Kingsland
League City: 215 W Main at Hwy 3

Coming soon:

Meyerland: 99 Braeswood Square at Chimney Rock
Northwest Houston: 5151 Antoine Drive at Pinemont

They’re the company’s first Texas locations and the most stores it has opened at one time. Overall, the company operates more than 175 stores in 13 states.

Although the stores are primarily aimed to supply restaurants, bars, and other professional food businesses, Gordon Food Service stores are open to the general public, too. Unlike typical warehouse stores, they do not require shoppers to purchase a membership.

Sized between 25,000 and 30,000-square feet, each store is stocked with fresh produce, meat, and dairy items as well as paper goods, cleaning supplies, and cookware. Shoppers will also find a range of prepared items such as rotisserie and fried chicken, ribs, and deli sandwiches as well as snacks like guacamole, cut fruit, and freshly squeezed juices.

A tortilleria produces fresh tortillas throughout the day, and 15 varieties of fresh popcorn are available.

Gordon Food Service popcorn They're perfect for movie night.Courtesy of Gordon Food Service

"Gordon Food Service Store believes in the power of good food and its ability to bring people together and make moments special," Gordon Food Service Stores president Tim Grabar said in a statement. "We are excited to open our doors to the greater Houston community and provide the chef-quality food products our stores are known for."

wave goodbye, Wooster's

Midtown bar with creative cocktails and craft taps will close in February

Photo courtesy of Wooster's Garden

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A staple Midtown cocktail bar will soon serve its last drink. Wooster’s Garden will close on February 12, co-owner Jeff Barati announced on Instagram.

He paid tribute to the bar in an emotional post about its legacy.

Since 2014, Wooster’s Garden has been so much more than a place to grab a cocktail – it’s been a second home, a meeting place, a celebration spot, a refuge after long days, and the backdrop to countless memories. Truly my favorite of all our concepts. So many great memories that are very difficult to put into words. I’m getting emotional typing this.

We’ve watched first dates and engagement parties turn into lifelong partnerships, strangers become regulars, and regulars become family. We’ve shared laughs, tears, milestones, cigar nights, and late nights. None of this would have been possible without the community that showed up night after night – your support, stories, and loyalty are what gave this Midtown haven a heartbeat.

Barati tells CultureMap that he and business partner Andy Aweida have leased the space to a new operator who will announce its plans soon. Still, he has some hope that Wooster’s will be revived in the future.

“Our tentative plan is to reopen elsewhere if we can find the right location,” he writes a in a text. “The staff wants to stay together and reopen.”

Opened in 2014 by the Kirby Group, Wooster’s Garden offered a compelling mix of craft cocktails paired with an extensive tap wall of beer and wine along with creative, upscale bar food. Its format and indoor-outdoor design served as a template for a number of the group’s later concepts, including Heights Bier Garten and Bayou Heights Bier Garten.

Closing Wooster’s Garden follows the Kirby Group’s recent decision to shutter Verde Garden, its Mexican-themed bar in Montrose’s Harlow District development. It will be replaced by Exilio Latin Flair, a pan-Latin restaurant from the owners of Bari Ristorante.

cocktails closings wooster's garden