When E’leece Lorey came to Houston from Los Angeles, she said she noticed a void in the market for the kind of cuisine that she liked.
Between her 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry and the experience of her husband, Josh Lorey, with business and finance, the two looked into opening their own restaurant. After around four years of planning and renovating the location, which was formerly a Verizon store, Herb and Beet opened in 2018 on Sawdust Road.
“We wanted something visible that people could see and would want to go try,” E’leece said.
E’leece said a staple of Herb and Beet is sourcing ingredients as locally as possible and making items in-house.
“We are not exactly a farm-to-market restaurant, but we try to utilize maybe 20 local vendors,” she said. “It is a healthy [and] Southern comfort fusion.”
Sustainability efforts
E’leece said her fascination with fresh Texas offerings came from when she began to see what was available around the state.
“I was not aware of how much Texas had to offer,” she said. “I wanted to be as fresh as possible and get as fresh as possible. When we saw how many local farms there were, it was definitely a selling point, too, ... and we like helping the farmers; we like supporting those that support us.”
Since opening, E’leece said the plan for Herb and Beet was to be a progressive, “new age” kind of restaurant.“I see it as an all-encompassing package,” she said. “If you are going to be serving fresh food daily, I think having a sustainability impact is important. It is so easy to use recycled products and things like that. ... That was a huge issue for me.”
Lorey noted customers that come in are often surprised to see the offerings on the menu, such as brisket sandwiches, steak salads, and macaroni and cheese options.
“We are more than just salads,” she said.
Pandemic pivoting
When the coronavirus pandemic lockdown took effect in March 2020, E’leece said she and her team had to think on their feet to adapt at the time it was unfolding.
The solution came from shifting from a restaurant operation to acting as a small, drive-thru grocery store for the area.
“They were things we had that people were able to get [from us],” she said. “That went right back to supporting those farmers, so it was nice to keep the ball rolling, and we could keep supporting other people.”She added she and her staff have tried to be cognizant of the pandemic from the outset, including wearing masks early on and closing the dining room before shifting to the grocery store model.
“It was rewarding. A lot of our guests were very thankful that happened when everything was going crazy with grocery stores,” E’leece said. “We wanted to help the community.”
She said the pandemic has slowed down plans to expand, but she is hopeful about getting a second location in the area. In the meantime, efforts are being made to get a food truck operational.
Herb and Beet
448 Sawdust Road, The Woodlands
832-663-9671
www.herbandbeet.com
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-3 p.m., closed Sun.
