Chef Randy Rucker’s Bramble Shutters Citing Houston’s Economic Downturn

Late Friday afternoon, Chef Randy Rucker announced that he would shutter his Briargrove restaurant Bramble, and the economy is likely to blame.

The announcement, posted to the Bramble Facebook page, cites the downturn in Houston’s economy due to historically low oil prices. The economy is slowly beginning to recover, but Bramble just couldn’t survive the slowdown. Scope out the full statement below:

The restaurant will remain open for "special functions" and private events, though no word yet on what those are going to look like just yet. Perhaps Rucker will use the space to host pop-up dinners, which he certainly has familiarity with considering that the restaurant sort of began as a dinner series.

In its short life, Bramble’s cuisine intrigued critics and earned mixed reviews. Houston Chronicle critic Alison Cook found the cuisine "fascinating," while Paper City Mag critic James Brock was decidedly less impressed.

Just a little over a year and a half into the grand Bramble experiment, what will come next from Chef Randy Rucker remains to be seen.

All Bramble Coverage [EHOU]