How 7 iconic Houston businesses got their start

You’ve probably spotted these Houston businesses around the city. Learn their history and how they’ve evolved into the legendary companies they are today.

Running a successful business is a mix of strategy and luck. Sure, you need a sound business plan and a quality product, but you also need to find the right people to help execute your vision, plus a little good fortune. Several Houston businesses know that all too well.

From a tortilla shop turned Tex-Mex legend to a community-owned bookstore, we’re exploring the stories of seven iconic Houston businesses—and how they’re thriving today.

1. Mama Ninfa’s

Like many great restaurants, Mama Ninfa’s started from humble beginnings. A few years after World War II, Ninfa Laurenzo and her husband opened Rio Grande Food Products Company, making handmade tortillas and pizza dough. A couple of decades later, her husband had died, and the business was on thin ice. She found cooking comfort food to be … well, a comfort.

Laurenzo turned a corner of the company’s factory into a ten-table restaurant and started serving her classic tacos al carbon, among other items. Little did the budding restaurateur know she was creating what the world now knows as fajitas, a staple menu item of just about every Tex-Mex restaurant. In 1973, the first Mama Ninfa’s officially opened for business.

Mama Ninfa had an illustrious career that spanned more than 50 years. She was named the Texas Restaurant Association’s “Woman Restaurateur of the Year” in 1979 and was inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame in 1988. In 2019, Mayor Sylvester Turner named November 12 “Original Ninfa’s Day” in Houston, and the restaurant received a James Beard Award semifinalist nod.

2. Shipley Do-Nuts

Sporting one of the best glazed old-fashioned donuts around, Shipley Do-Nuts traces its origins back to 1936. That’s when Lawrence Shipley Sr. concocted his recipe for hot and fresh handcrafted donuts. These donuts had to contain three qualities: simple, fluffy, and delicious. He opened the original location of Shipley Do-Nuts on 1417 Crockett St. in Houston.

Lawrence believed the donuts would speak for themselves. Shipley Sr. said, “When they bite into that hot donut, it will bring them back every time.” The plain glazed is still the top seller at the store, but with over 60 donut varieties—and a mean kolache game, to boot—you can find plenty to enjoy.

Lawrence Shipley Jr. took over running the company, followed by Lawrence Shipley III, making Shipley’s one of several multigenerational Houston businesses. Shipley’s now has more than 420 locations across a handful of southern states, yet the headquarters still remains in Northside, Houston.

3. Pappadeaux (and all the Pappas Restaurants)

H.D. Pappas moved from Greece to America in 1897 and opened restaurants in multiple states, including Tennessee, Arkansas, and Texas. His sons, Pete and Jim, started Pappas Refrigeration in 1945 and spent 22 years supplying other restaurants with equipment. Then, they thought, “Hey, we can do this restaurant thing ourselves!” Their first restaurant, Dot Coffee Shop, was opened in south Houston in 1967; Pappas Brisket House, which would later become Pappas Bar-B-Q, opened downtown later that year.

Jim Pappas’s sons got into the mix, continuing to launch restaurants around Houston. The Strawberry Patch (now Pappas Bros. Steakhouse) opened in 1976, Pappas Seafood House debuted in 1981, Pappasito’s Cantina started dishing out fajitas and margs in 1983, and Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen opened in 1986. That’s the same year the Kenny Loggins hit “Danger Zone” was released, and certainly, someone has enjoyed seafood while rocking out to that song.

Today, Pappas Restaurants has opened more than 100 locations across seven states, continuing to serve Houstonians with a smile.

4. SugarHill Recording Studios

Opened in 1941 by Bill Quinn (under the original name of Quinn Recording), SugarHill Recording Studios is the United States’ oldest continuously operating studio. Quinn updated the name to Gold Star Studios in 1950. Huey P. Meaux took over in the early 1970s, switching the name one more time to SugarHill.

The studio has served as a launching pad for several iconic Texas musicians. Destiny’s Child and Beyoncé—who we’ll see again later on this list—The Big Bopper, and Freddy Fender had early recordings here. SugarHill also helped the Sir Douglas Quintet record, and if you can listen to “Mendocino” without it getting stuck in your head, I applaud you.

You can book a recording session or simply visit the studios for a tour. Quinn built the SugarHill Room in 1950 (and Meaux updated it in 1973) and the Green Room in 1959. Jack Clement of Sun Studios added the Neve Room in 1964, which includes the legendary reverb chamber sounds featured on many hit recordings since the room’s construction.

5. Brazos Bookstore

Houston’s oldest independent bookstore recently celebrated 50 years in service. In 1974, Karl Kilian saw an impressive group of writers coming out of Houston and wanted to make the city a literary hub. He opened Brazos Bookstore with a mantra of offering personalized experiences, exquisitely curated collections, and getting involved with the community. Early customers included Larry McMurtry, Donald Barthelme, and Edward Albee. On your next visit, you may be browsing the shelves alongside a famous author!

Brazos Bookstore hosts regular, free, and interactive book signing events as well as programs for eager young readers. Kilian announced his retirement in 2006. Rather than letting the store go out of business, a group of 14 loyal customers and private investors purchased it. Today, the ownership group is up to 27, and Brazos Bookstore has remained an independent treasure in Houston for over half a century.

6. Frenchy’s Chicken

We don’t often get to see Beyoncé chowing down on a chicken drumstick, but she’s in her happy place when she eats Frenchy’s Chicken. Queen Bey stopped by the long-standing Houston restaurant in 2024 as she endorsed Kamala Harris for president. We also learned her order (courtesy of her mom) during a 2017 visit after serving food to those displaced by Hurricane Harvey. The superstar ordered fried chicken, red beans, rice, French fries, greens, cornbread, and lemon pound cake. Celebrities—they’re just like us!

Of course, Frenchy’s has been around for even longer than Beyoncé. The soul food restaurant began as a small sandwich shop in 1969. Percy “Frenchy” Creuzot Jr. opened up his original Frenchy’s Po-Boy on Scott Street in the Third Ward. Creuzot wanted to bring quick-serve New Orleans-style eats to Houston, and Frenchy’s became a hit after folks got their hands (and mouths) on the restaurant’s seasoned fried chicken. Building off family recipes, Frenchy’s also has a bevy of classic Creole sides.

Creuzot died in 2010, though the Frenchy’s legacy lives on. The restaurant is a pillar in the community and continues to dish out authentic Creole comfort.

7. Sysco

As you move around town, you may have spotted a Sysco truck on the road. Even if you’re not quite sure what the company does, you’ve encountered its work if you’ve gone out to eat or bought concessions at a sporting event. Sysco distributes food products—such as Texas Certified Angus Beef, Buckhead Meat & Seafood, and The Beyond Burger—to restaurants, stadiums, healthcare and educational facilities, and more.

In 1966, John Baugh owned Zero Foods. He thought he could improve his operations by partnering with other food distribution companies. In 1969, Baugh merged his Zero Foods company with eight other distributors, and Sysco, which stands for Systems and Services Co., was born. Baugh served as co-founder alongside Harry Rosenthal and Global Frozen Foods co-founder Herbert Irving, who was vice chairman for nearly a quarter-century.

On March 3, 1970, Sysco had its initial public offering. Today, it’s the world’s largest broadline food distributor and a Fortune 100 company. Sometimes, nine heads really are better than one.

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