Residing in Century City's Westfield mall for 20 years, Houston's has witnessed the comings and goings of neighboring eateries including Dive, Yin-Yang, French 76 and Harpers, to name a few. And on October 7th the restaurant will serve its final meal.

According to employees, the owners have attempted with no success to renegotiate the lease for many years, a common issue among restaurateurs and food-distributing business owners. The Counter, which opened a few days ago in the space across from Houston's, will soon greet a new neighbor, another chain we gather.

“Luckily, Hillstone is offering employees a nice severance package,” one waitress said when asked where she'll go after the closure. Hillstone restaurant group which owns Houston's plans to relocate the restaurant to Napa Valley with a new, updated concept.

As far as signature items such as the veggie burger and spinach/artichoke dip go, customers can find similar versions at Gulfstream, also in the Century City mall. But don't expect it to be identical: the brown rice to beet ratio might be askew, explained a hostess. The restaurant is currently taking reservations through September 30th, then it's a free-for- all “to be fair to customers.”

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