Goodbye to a Texas Icon
By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon
Bob Luby opened his first cafeteria in San Antonio in 1947. Seventy-three years later, newspapers across the state reported the iconic Texas restaurant would be sold off to try and give shareholders back some return on their investment. The Houston Chronicle reported Luby's will sell off its assets "to pay shareholders long unhappy with the Houston company's financial performance."
The company, which also owns Fuddruckers, has been struggling over the last few years, and has been losing revenue steadily. Luby's reported a 3.8 million dollar loss this past quarter. The powers-that-be said some restaurants would remain open while the selling off of the company goes forward.
I was not shocked when I read about the company deciding to sell off its remaining assets and real estate. The two Brownsville locations are already closed. I figured it was only a matter of time before the company would cease to exist.
Brownsville has seen almost all of its cafeteria-style restaurants close. Wyatt's Cafeteria was once a thriving restaurant located in the Amigoland Mall. Furr's, a personal favorite of mine, was located off the expressway next to Lotus and Burger King in the plaza where the Handy Dan/Bud's/Convergy's building is.
Luby's continued the trend. Months ago, Brownsville's original Luby's, located at the intersection of Paredes Line Road and Boca Chica closed its doors. The Luby's that had been open since the Sunrise Mall had been renovated and expanded followed soon thereafter.
Luby's is a Texas institution. It isn't a mistake that the company's slogan is "Tastes like Texas. Feels like Home." Thinking back, there isn't one time I can think of that doesn't include memories at Luby's.
I was more of a Boca Chica Luby's man than I was a Sunrise Mall Luby's man. I have my grandfather to thank for that. I understand this wasn't the case for everyone, but I was very fortunate my grandfather enjoyed eating out; doing so was never a rare occasion in my family. Growing up in Brownsville, I was taken to several restaurants all around the city. One of the restaurants my grandparents liked to frequent was Luby's. Truth be told, when I was a young child, the food at Luby's was too "grown up" for me, and my grandparents and mother spoiled me by buying me a Happy Meal before going to Luby's, but that quickly faded as I got older.
Walking in to the Luby's on Boca Chica never got old. I liked the terrarium-style foyer you had to walk through before entering the restaurant. I have fond memories of eating there with members of my family, friends, and coworkers.
When I was lucky enough to have a long enough lunch hour where I could leave the building, sometimes a few coworkers and I would get a chance to go to Luby's. I was also lucky enough to work with someone (you know who you are) who shared the same like for one of Luby's signature dishes — the fried fish. We were lucky enough to work for an organization that received a discount. We were also lucky Luby's would offer their famous fried fish on sale during the Lent season.
When I was lucky in love, I was fortunate my significant other enjoyed a nice lunch at Luby's. Many flirtatious looks and smiles were exchanged over a meal at a Luby's here in town or at a Luby's a couple of towns up the highway. I also remember stopping at a Luby's to pick up some pie; my former signigficant other was a big fan of Luby's desert. Unfortunately, I am no longer that lucky anymore, but they are still nice thoughts and stories to have saved in the memory banks.
I am also lucky my best friend and my partner in crime enjoyed a nice meal at Luby's. I always liked the Boca Chica location because it had a separate dining room that was often times closed off when the rest of the dining room had room to sit. I almost always managed to make my way into that separate dining room, even when it was "closed." I was lucky enough to be enough of a regular the servers allowed me to eat in that section whenever they didn't want people to eat in there. I will always and forever be thankful to the employees and management for making me feel like I was a VIP when I really wasn't. We also had lunch and dinner at the Sunrise Mall location. It was because of my partner in crime who would almost always suggest eating at Luby's when we were around the mall. It was always a welcome suggestion.
The Boca Chica location had just recently been renovated within the last few years. The interior had been spruced up and decorated with a mural showing some of the early history of the first Luby's. I also lived in San Antonio for about a year, and I was fortunate to have visited the original location of the first Luby's in Downtown San Antonio.
Alas, these stories will always be just that — stories. It appears Luby's across the state, and the rest of the nation, will soon go the way of the dodo bird. It is a pity future generations will not be able to enjoy eating and dining at a place like Luby's.
Luby's has legitimately been a part of the Texas landscape for over seven decades. To anybody who has ever been a part of the organization; to any servers or employees who worked to make eating at Luby's a pleasant experience, you have my heartfelt gratitude and thanks.
Thank you for being a part of Texas history. Thank you for being a part of Brownsville history. Thank you for being a part of my history.
You will never be forgotten. You will, however, be sorely missed.
Thank you, Luby's.
 |
| The first Luby's in Downtown San Antonio |
Bob Luby opened his first cafeteria in San Antonio in 1947. Seventy-three years later, newspapers across the state reported the iconic Texas restaurant would be sold off to try and give shareholders back some return on their investment. The Houston Chronicle reported Luby's will sell off its assets "to pay shareholders long unhappy with the Houston company's financial performance."
The company, which also owns Fuddruckers, has been struggling over the last few years, and has been losing revenue steadily. Luby's reported a 3.8 million dollar loss this past quarter. The powers-that-be said some restaurants would remain open while the selling off of the company goes forward.
I was not shocked when I read about the company deciding to sell off its remaining assets and real estate. The two Brownsville locations are already closed. I figured it was only a matter of time before the company would cease to exist.
Brownsville has seen almost all of its cafeteria-style restaurants close. Wyatt's Cafeteria was once a thriving restaurant located in the Amigoland Mall. Furr's, a personal favorite of mine, was located off the expressway next to Lotus and Burger King in the plaza where the Handy Dan/Bud's/Convergy's building is.
Luby's continued the trend. Months ago, Brownsville's original Luby's, located at the intersection of Paredes Line Road and Boca Chica closed its doors. The Luby's that had been open since the Sunrise Mall had been renovated and expanded followed soon thereafter.
Luby's is a Texas institution. It isn't a mistake that the company's slogan is "Tastes like Texas. Feels like Home." Thinking back, there isn't one time I can think of that doesn't include memories at Luby's.
I was more of a Boca Chica Luby's man than I was a Sunrise Mall Luby's man. I have my grandfather to thank for that. I understand this wasn't the case for everyone, but I was very fortunate my grandfather enjoyed eating out; doing so was never a rare occasion in my family. Growing up in Brownsville, I was taken to several restaurants all around the city. One of the restaurants my grandparents liked to frequent was Luby's. Truth be told, when I was a young child, the food at Luby's was too "grown up" for me, and my grandparents and mother spoiled me by buying me a Happy Meal before going to Luby's, but that quickly faded as I got older.
Walking in to the Luby's on Boca Chica never got old. I liked the terrarium-style foyer you had to walk through before entering the restaurant. I have fond memories of eating there with members of my family, friends, and coworkers.
When I was lucky enough to have a long enough lunch hour where I could leave the building, sometimes a few coworkers and I would get a chance to go to Luby's. I was also lucky enough to work with someone (you know who you are) who shared the same like for one of Luby's signature dishes — the fried fish. We were lucky enough to work for an organization that received a discount. We were also lucky Luby's would offer their famous fried fish on sale during the Lent season.
When I was lucky in love, I was fortunate my significant other enjoyed a nice lunch at Luby's. Many flirtatious looks and smiles were exchanged over a meal at a Luby's here in town or at a Luby's a couple of towns up the highway. I also remember stopping at a Luby's to pick up some pie; my former signigficant other was a big fan of Luby's desert. Unfortunately, I am no longer that lucky anymore, but they are still nice thoughts and stories to have saved in the memory banks.
I am also lucky my best friend and my partner in crime enjoyed a nice meal at Luby's. I always liked the Boca Chica location because it had a separate dining room that was often times closed off when the rest of the dining room had room to sit. I almost always managed to make my way into that separate dining room, even when it was "closed." I was lucky enough to be enough of a regular the servers allowed me to eat in that section whenever they didn't want people to eat in there. I will always and forever be thankful to the employees and management for making me feel like I was a VIP when I really wasn't. We also had lunch and dinner at the Sunrise Mall location. It was because of my partner in crime who would almost always suggest eating at Luby's when we were around the mall. It was always a welcome suggestion.
The Boca Chica location had just recently been renovated within the last few years. The interior had been spruced up and decorated with a mural showing some of the early history of the first Luby's. I also lived in San Antonio for about a year, and I was fortunate to have visited the original location of the first Luby's in Downtown San Antonio.
Alas, these stories will always be just that — stories. It appears Luby's across the state, and the rest of the nation, will soon go the way of the dodo bird. It is a pity future generations will not be able to enjoy eating and dining at a place like Luby's.
Luby's has legitimately been a part of the Texas landscape for over seven decades. To anybody who has ever been a part of the organization; to any servers or employees who worked to make eating at Luby's a pleasant experience, you have my heartfelt gratitude and thanks.
Thank you for being a part of Texas history. Thank you for being a part of Brownsville history. Thank you for being a part of my history.
You will never be forgotten. You will, however, be sorely missed.
Thank you, Luby's.
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