Colleyville restaurant owner asked Greg Abbott’s office before opening, he says
Rio Mambo Tex Mex y Más owner Brent Johnson said he spoke with a “personal acquaintance in the governor’s administration” and other state and city officials before deciding to reopen his restaurant patio Friday, and two other Colleyville restaurants joined in.
However, Johnson did not name any state official he spoke with, and a spokesman for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said restaurants currently can only offer delivery or take-out.
Benny’s Cafe and Gloria’s Latin Cuisine in Colleyville also offered full patio service even though other restaurants locally and statewide kept theirs closed under state and county orders.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered April 17 to “avoid eating or drinking” at bars and restaurants and use only take-out. Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley of Hurst ordered April 21 that restaurants “may only provide take-out, delivery, curbside pickup or drive-in.”
Johnson, founder of the 20-year Tex-Mex chain, said he consulted a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission staffer, the Texas Attorney General’s office and a friend in Abbott’s office before deciding to open.
“I can just tell you I have the consent of all bodies,” he said Friday.
On Saturday, he said nobody gave permission and he made the decision on his own.
“But not a single source said, ‘Do not do it. You will be breaking the law.’ “
Johnson did not say who went along, or on what grounds.
A spokesman for Paxton’s office wrote by email that the order limiting restaurants to take-out and delivery “is certainly clear for now for Colleyville residents and people around the state.”
A spokesman for the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission said agents “continue their efforts to educate and inform business owners” on Abbott’s order, which is expected to be revised Monday.
Other chefs in the same county working under the same orders responded sharply on Twitter.
Chef Tim Love, who operates restaurants in Fort Worth and Austin, wrote: “This is crazy. People are now opening restaurants, serving alcohol and there is no penalty? So, that means we can all open? @GovAbbott @MayorBetsyPrice someone please take control and give real direction here. What a joke.”
Chef Gabriel DeLeon at Mi Día From Scratch, a direct competitor in Grapevine, tweeted at the TABC: “@TexasABC WTH!!!!!!!! DO YOUR JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
In a Facebook post, Johnson said Rio Mambo is modeling “a new normal” for restaurants to reopen even as coronavirus numbers continue to climb sharply.
Johnson said he spaced his 17 patio tables a full 6 feet apart — from chair to chair, not table to table — and added sanitizing stations, with his staff wearing masks.
“I think this is what we’ll be doing — I’m trying to show some leadership” as business returns during the coronavirus pandemic, he said.
Based on Star-Telegram photos, Rio Mambo’s patio was the most widely spaced of the three opening Friday.
Costa Vida did not offer patio service but allowed take-out patrons to sit at its outdoor tables, also a violation.
Other Colleyville restaurants stuck to take-out service, including Chef Point Cafe, Loveria, NAPA Thai, Palio’s Pizza and Red Barn BBQ.
This story was originally published April 25, 2020 at 5:45 AM.
