At Holly Berry Tea Room in League City, tea is in the name, but there are other reasons customers return, owner Rhonda Karim said.
One is the soup. The restaurant’s soups are made fresh, rotate daily and are often coveted, Karim said.
Another is the restaurant’s unique locale. The tea room is set in a century-old house that was transported from the Heights in Houston to League City about 25 years ago, Karim said. The house is filled with unusual and vintage decorations.
“I feel like I belong in this house,” Karim said.
Yet another reason is the staff. Karim said her business would not survive without her workers.
Likewise, Karim’s favorite part of the job is the customers. Karim likes seeing strangers become friends and greeting the same people regularly, she said.
While COVID-19 temporarily shut the restaurant down, Karim is happy to see familiar faces for dine in and takeout now that she has reopened, she said.
Of course, it would not be a tea room without tea.
Karim has dozens of tea sets, many of which are donated by regular customers. When these customers order tea, the staff does its best to serve them with the sets they donated, Karim said.
Karim used to work at the tea room before her old boss retired, and she bought the restaurant about three years ago. Karim comes from a family of restaurant workers.
“It’s in your blood,” she said. “It’s just a passion.”
One final reason customers return is they know what to expect. Karim keeps the menu consistent.
“I don’t change a single recipe, and that’s why they keep coming back,” she said.
