Casual fine dining restaurant Houston’s has permanently closed its only Memphis location.
The Phoenix, Arizona-based restaurant chain announced it was closing the location at 5000 Poplar Ave. in a statement on its website. The East Memphis location opened in 1983.
“Regretfully, the operating environment in the vicinity has become increasingly difficult over the years, both with respect to staffing and public safety,” the statement read. “While we know this development will be disappointing to many of our guests, it is a decision that was not made lightly. We would like to thank our guests for their support and we hope to have the opportunity to serve you at another one of our locations.”
Houston’s is part of Hillstone Restaurant Group, which operates 38 locations in 10 states. Ten of those locations are branded as Houston’s, but the others still serve very similar cuisine.
Houston’s grew to become a local favorite in the more than 40 years that it operated in the city. Well-known Memphians like former mayor Willie Herenton were known to regularly dine at the East Memphis restaurant.
In recent years, however, the casual dining restaurant drew some criticism for its rules regarding dress code and party size. Houston’s had extensive attire standards that considered “hats, tank tops, flip flops, and team athletic attire too casual” for the restaurant. Parties of two were “preferred” and the maximum party size was four people. Child seating was not offered, and strollers were prohibited.
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Jacob Wilt is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal. You can reach him at jacob.wilt@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Houston’s restaurant in Memphis permanently closes: Here’s why
