There are new restaurants and Papas coming out at the Houston Hobby Airport

Houston – Airport travelers were surprised to see new restaurants, such as Gastrohub, at Hobby Airport on Friday. It’s where Pappas BBQ used to be.

This comes after the Houston City Council voted to enter into an agreement with the Districts Group to handle restaurant operations for the next 10 years. This led to a legal battle, which Pappas lost.

Some travelers were not sure about the change.

“Seeing her disappear is kind of sad for me,” said Tolani R.

The Houston Airport System announced eight new pop-up restaurants to replace Papas. They include Gastrohub Bistro & Bar, Gastrohub and Streat, Streat Bar, Latrelle’s Mexican Kitchen, Pink’s Pizza, Pick Up Stix, and Hubcap Bar & Grill.

“I mean, everything is worth experiencing, you know,” Josh said.

Pappas officially moved on by 11:59 p.m. Thursday. Pappas officials say they were not allowed to take the equipment that was rightfully theirs.

They issued this statement:

“Today, HAS and the City of Houston refused to allow us to vacate our spaces at Hobby Airport. We were working extraordinarily hard to get all of the removable equipment out when our team met the Chief of Airport Security and Law Enforcement who instructed them not to remove equipment that had been purchased by Pappas Restaurants. The city works on behalf of the regions to forcefully obtain expensive equipment without payment. The city’s behavior remains disgraceful. Houston deserves better. – Christina Pappas

City of Houston Legal responded, saying the contract says otherwise.

“The contractual arrangement between the City and Pappas allowed Pappas to take the “removable” fixtures at the end of the contract period, and Pappas was free to do so. However, Pappas is also seeking to dismantle and take out other major installations, such as the three cabin docks that are bolted or “permanently” installed at Hobby Airport. These removals are not contractually permitted, cause damage to airport facilities and will inevitably lead to customer service disruption as the airport changes vendors. Pappas was repeatedly reminded of his contractual obligation to leave these “permanent” installations in place and those reminders were ignored. The City will continue to comply with its contractual obligations to ensure a smooth transition as the districts take over the space previously managed by Pappas.. — COH Legal.

A total of 20 permanent dining and retail restaurants will open by late 2024.

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Pappas loses his latest court battle over a Hobby franchise contract dispute

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