Over the past few years, there have been few figures as influential in Houston’s culinary scene as Bobby Heugel and Kevin Floyd. Together, they’ve opened seven currently-operating restaurants and bars, and now, they’re parting ways.
A statement provided to Eater by Heugel and Floyd announces that the two have “exchanged partnership interests” in the concepts that they’ve founded together. Heugel will take Floyd’s ownership in Anvil Bar & Refuge, The Pastry War, and The Nightingale Room, and Floyd has acquired Heugel’s share of Underbelly, The Haymerchant, and Blacksmith. Both will continue to own a minority stake in cocktail bar Julep.
According to the statement, it’s a move that comes two years in the making, and reflects a desire to go in different (separate) directions with future business ventures. Scope out this excerpt from the statement below:
We had our first restaurant job together. We opened our first business together. And we literally grew up together. As a team, we were able to accomplish feats that very few our age have, and we know that this was a result of our complimentary skillsets and longstanding friendship. In recent years, however, we reached a point where we needed each other less and less and had different views and goals for our individual futures. This partnership transition allows each of us to pursue those goals and projects with more freedom and less demands on each other.
We are both very proud of what we have been able to accomplish together in each of our concepts, and we will continue to champion those places as ongoing owners or former partners because of how important they were in our lives and because of what we feel they mean to our wonderful city. We wish each other and the staff members in the businesses we are each departing nothing but the best as we move forward with this amicable and mutually beneficial decision.”
In addition to the three concepts each that Floyd and Heugel will oversee, both are busy opening new concepts. Floyd is a partner in Chris Shepherd’s One Fifth, and Heugel is set to open his “neighborhood business” with Justin Yu at some point this year.