Houston’s Hobby Airport just got a little bit country, and a lot more rock and roll with the debut of a new outpost of the Rustic. The restaurant and live music venue, which was conceptualized by Dallas-based FreeRange Concepts hospitality group that also operates Bowl & Barrel, Mutt’s Canine Cantina, and the General Public in major Texas cities, opened inside Hobby’s center concourse on Saturday, February 1.
The Rustic has two existing Houston locations in Downtown and Uptown Park, with the Hobby Airport locale opening as the result of a licensing agreement with Houston-based LaTrelle’s Management Corporation. LaTrelle’s is a family-owned firm with a history of running franchised restaurants across the U.S. that will take full reign of the airport location’s ownership and operations.
LaTrelle’s brings a wealth of experience and a deep connection to Hobby Airport to the table. The firm’s founder W.A. James Sr., along with his wife, Glady LaTrelle, opened LaTrelle’s Bakery inside Hobby Airport in 1985. Their rapid success allowed them the opportunity to secure high-profile national franchises in airports across the country in the decades that followed. Today, the firm manages more than 40 restaurants in international airports in major U.S. cities, including maintaining a presence inside Hobby Airport by introducing fresh new concepts. The Rustic’s opening is doubly sweet for the company, now run by second- and third-generation family members of W.A. James Sr., as it celebrates its 40th year in the restaurant business.
Like its sister concepts, the Hobby Airport restaurant will offer a relaxed atmosphere spread across 4,000-square-feet of bar and dining space, where the marriage of home-style-meals and live music takes center stage. Guests passing the time until takeoff, or satisfying their hunger post-flight, can look forward to hearty meals showcased alongside musical stylings from local and national artists.
Along with a full bar that includes cocktails, wine, and beers on tap, the Rustic’s menu features indulgent dishes that reflect the bold flavors of Texas, like the Steak Laredo, a white cheddar cheese-stuffed beef tenderloin, topped with chile rojo sauce; Cedar Plank salmon with ancho-lime butter; and a beer-can roasted game hen with jalapeno spoon bread playfully referred to the Drunk Chick.
Given its new airport address, and extended hours from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, LaTrelle’s has incorporated a breakfast menu exclusively for the Rustic’s Hobby location. Morning comfort eats range from breakfast tacos and burritos to heartier plates like steak and eggs.
Beyond the Rustic, travelers thinking ahead to their next airport meal can look forward to even more places that have opened as part of the prime contract between LaTrelle’s and the City of Houston. The four-phase project, announced back in January of 2023, has brought a range of dining options to consider while flying, including Velvet Taco, Fat Cat Creamery, Dunkin’, and Starbucks.
