After troubles, Reef closes for good
A Midtown restaurant from one of Houston’s most celebrated chefs has closed, surprising many — including workers.
Reef, at 2600 Travis, from chef Bryan Caswell closed its doors for the final time on Monday. Caswell, who was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2010 and 2011, reportedly made the decision based on health and financial issues.
“After a recent cardiac event that necessitated a hospital stay, combined with other economic factors, chef Bryan Caswell has made the decision to close Reef & 3rd Bar,” said Marie Elgamal, a representative for the restaurant. “The remainder of nonperishable goods will be donated.”
While Elgamal said employees were given advance notice, it seems that not everyone got the message. On Tuesday morning, a lone worker sat outside the restaurant, unaware of the closure. Tacked to the front door, a sign read, “We are closed for the evening. We apologize for any inconvenience.”
Employees were paid through last Monday, according to Elgamal, who added that “any additional hours will be paid accordingly.”
While Reef was named to Houston Chronicle restaurant critic Alison Cook’s Top 100 this year, Caswell and his restaurant have had more than their fair share of bumps in the road over the past several years.
In 2017, Caswell closed Reef after flood damage from Hurricane Harvey. It took nearly two years for the hot spot to reopen. During
that time, Caswell opened a shortlived concept at Le Meridien downtown, as he waited to reopen his midtown gem.
Why did it take him so long to reopen Reef after Harvey?
“A man with a good sense of humor would have called it a comedy of errors,” Caswell told the Houston Chronicle in July.
Still, the resurrection came with heaps of praise, which was par for the course for Caswell, who was seen as a local boy who
made good on his big dreams of taking the culinary scene by storm.
After the Houston native graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1999, he landed internships at a Michelin-rated restaurant in Barcelona, followed by New York apprenticeships with Charlie Palmer at Aureole, Alfred Portale at Gotham Bar and Grill, Wayne Nish at March and JeanGeorges Vongerichten at his flagship restaurant.
He then went on to work at the Jean-Georges outposts in Bangkok, Hong Kong and the Bahamas before moving back to his hometown
to helm the kitchen at Bank at Hotel Icon, which opened just before the Super Bowl in 2004. It was there that Caswell met Bank manager and hospitality veteran Bill Floyd. Caswell and Floyd went on to form a partnership that yielded Reef, El Real Tex-Mex Café, Little Bigs and Jackson Street BBQ.
Little Bigs closed in 2017. And El Real stunned the city by shutting its doors in late October, just weeks after former investor Bill Floyd filed a lawsuit in Harris County District Court alleging that Caswell owes him more than $200,000. Following El Real’s closure,
former employees complained that they were owed unpaid wages. They’ve reportedly now been paid in full.
“Caswell extends his immense gratitude to Houston for the unforgettable memories and support over the years,” Elgamal said.
Charles Clark of Clark-Cooper Concepts has offered to provide opportunities for Reef staff, and accommodate all holiday reservations/private functions at his multiple concepts.
“We are sad to see Reef closing and know with the holidays around the corner, it is important for people to have jobs,” Clark said. “With this in mind, we made the decision to allow all of Reef ’s staff to apply within our restaurants to be considered for any of our open positions. We are also working to help relocate all of Reef ’s holiday parties at our concepts, based on our current availability.
“Bryan and I have been friends for years, and I know he would do the same for me.”