TRENDS Sailing into the future
Gathering spot for seafarers who come ashore is ‘designed for the next 50 years’
T om Heidt bit into the burger and compared it to a patty he’d enjoyed seven months ago. That day last June was the end of an era as a longtime restaurant and Port Houston staple closed its doors.
This new burger could be considered its reincarnation.
After nearly 45 years in an 18,500-square-foot location, the Howard T. Tellepsen Seafarers’ Center relocated to a more intimate 8,500-square-foot building. The new restaurant, Seafarers Landing, celebrated its grand opening Monday.
“I had been going to the old one for over 30 years,” Heidt, chief operations officer for Port Houston, said after finishing the new burger. The buns at the new place are better, he decided, and a footbridge connecting the restaurant to Port Houston’s offices makes it even more convenient.
The new facility reflects a changing industry. Seafarers no longer come ashore in droves as more efficient shipping keeps them busier during the day. Those who choose solid ground in the evening typically want a strong WiFi connection to interact with loved ones back home.
“This is designed for the next 50 years,” said Tom Tellepsen II, chair of the building committee for the new Seafarers’ Center.
His family’s construction company built the original Seafarers’ Center, which was renamed for his father in 2004. Leaving that building was tough, but Tellepsen knew it was time for a less cavernous space with more amenities for modern seafarers.
The new building’s contractor was Deem Commercial Construction, and the architect was
Studio Red Architects.
Tellepsen calls the main room the “great hall.” It has a 52-inch TV, pool table, piano and work stations with outlets for plugging in devices. All the furnishings — including couches made in Denmark that were donated to the Seafarers’ Center in the 1970s — are from the former location.
“It has such a heritage,” Tellepsen said. “We wanted to bring back here whatever would fit.”
Chaplains who aren’t clambering aboard ships sit at a reception desk so they’re easier for seafarers to access. The bar has buoy-inspired light fixtures and shingle siding. The restaurant has sails stretched horizontally overhead, giving the industrial ceiling a lower feel.
And while the restaurant has historically fed seafarers and employees at the Turning Basin, Tellepsen hopes the new owners and menu will attract new customers. The restaurant also does catering now.
“We want to reach outside of the Turning Basin for new clients,” he said.
Seafarers Landing is owned by Ron Collins and his wife, Peggy Lucas-Collins. Ron’s first restaurant job was at Whataburger, when he was 17, and the company paid for Collins to go to culinary school.
The duo has worked for a host of companies and had several business endeavors, including a restaurant inside AstroWorld. They’re also regular chefs of the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, with quality that could be tasted in the sliders given out Monday.
Their restaurant is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, and the menu offerings include breakfast burritos, burgers, wraps, salads and stuffed baked potatoes.
Adamba Frank, who works at Port Houston, is a self-proclaimed burger connoisseur who sampled the beef last week during the restaurant’s soft opening.
“One of the best burger and fries I’ve ever had,” Frank said.
Niels Aalund, senior vice president of the West Gulf Maritime Association, was impressed by the large portions, fresh ingredients and open kitchen.
“This is really a good first impression,” he said.