Houston beer maven Kevin Floyd steps away from Underbelly Hospitality
One of the chief architects of the contemporary Houston beer and cocktail scene, Kevin Floyd, has stepped away from his role at Underbelly Hospitality.
“Kevin is stepping away from Underbelly Hospitality to explore new ventures on his own and spend time with his family,” said Underbelly Hospitality’s publicist Lindsey Brown. Floyd was a partner and operations director for all Underbelly Hospitality concepts. At Hay Merchant, he was managing partner.
Restaurants and establishments under that group’s umbrella include One-Fifth, Hay Merchant, Georgia James, coffeehouse Blacksmith and UB Preserv.
“Chris Shepherd and MLB Partners are majority partners in Underbelly Hospitality, Hay Merchant’s parent company. Hay Merchant’s in good hands with an incredible staff,” Brown added.
On Friday, Floyd said that he’s excited for what’s next.
“I really want to spend time with my family and my 2-yearold daughter,” Floyd said. “This is all totally amicable.”
Floyd said the decision to sell his shares was about a month in the making, but he’s been thinking about making a change for some time.
“My lifestyle, being in the industry I am, is all-consuming, and if you want to be successful you have to sacrifice a lot,” Floyd said.
Floyd said he and the restaurant group came up with a deal that works for everyone.
“They put together an offer that made sense for all of us,” Floyd said. “I get to take some time off and see what my next move is.”
He’s been a busy guy for the past decade, helping open over a dozen bars and concepts along the way — including Anvil, Blacksmith, Hay Merchant, The Pasty War, Julep, The Nightingale Room, three versions of revolving concept One-Fifth, Underbelly, Georgia James and UB Preserv.
“We have built a very strong team of managers and directors,” Floyd said. “We have hired good people along the way, so the transition will be easier.”
For now, Floyd said, it’s time to relax and enjoy life. His wife has booked their first real family vacation. They met in July 2008, and he started work on Anvil just months later. That bar opened its doors in March 2009.
Within a few years, Anvil was getting international praise for Floyd and business partner Bobby Heugel’s cocktail prowess. The pair went their separate ways professionally in early 2017 but remain friends and champions of one another.
Floyd said he’s ready to slow down and take some time for real life, but, “You might see me getting involved in other projects eventually.”