User:Kimikel/BB's Tex-Orleans

BB's Tex-Orleans, also referred to as simply BB's, is a Cajun restaurant chain with multiple locations spread between various cities in Texas. The first location was opened in Houston by founder Brooks Bassler in 2007. As of 2024, there are twelve BB's Tex-Orleans restaurants in operation across the Houston metropolitan area, in addition to one in San Antonio. BB's is primarily known for its fusion of Cajun and Texan cuisines, po-boys, crawfish, and late-night hours.

History
Before deciding to open his own business, Texas native Brooks Bassler worked as a waiter and was involved in a catering business, which made him gravitate towards a career in the restaurant industry. The first BB's Tex-Orleans was opened by Bassler in Houston in November 2007. A University of Houston graduate with a degree in business, Bassler launched the first location with $310,000 in savings and loans from his parents and the Small Business Administration. Bassler crafted the original menu with help from his mother and grandmother, who originally hailed from southern Louisiana. Despite early struggles, the company experienced an upswing in business after a positive review in the Houston Chronicle, and the company became profitable within two years of its opening. The restaurant became acclaimed for its po-boys, crawfish, and fusion of Cajun and Texan cuisines.

Since the first location's opening in 2009, 12 more locations have been opened in Houston and its metropolitan area. In 2021, the chain opened its first location outside of the Houston area when it opened a location in western San Antonio. A second location was opened in San Antonio, which ultimately closed in May 2024. As of June 2024, the restaurant consists of 13 restaurants in Houston, San Antonio, Katy, Tomball, Webster, Cypress, and Pearland. Many of the locations operate past midnight, with all of them remaining open until at least 10 P.M. BB's participates in an oyster shell recycling program alongside the Galveston Bay Foundation, in which shucked oyster shells are collected and placed in the Galveston Bay to help restore oyster habitats; they have recycled over 14 tons of shells through this program.

The Houston Press named BB's as its Best Cajun Restaurant of 2009. Additionally, the restaurant won the Houston Chronicle 's Best of the Best Houston Crawfish in 2022, and was a runner-up in 2023. Condé Nast Traveler named BB's Tex-Orleans as one of Houston's 23 best restaurants in 2019.