The Hop is closing, but its Webster home will not stay dark for long: Houston Heights favorite Preslee’s Southern Good Eatery is moving into the 38-year-old nightclub’s former space for a family-friendly restaurant expected this fall. The handoff trades a storied dance floor for Southern comfort food, a bigger bar, a playground and big-screen TVs — although the old dance floor itself is being shown the door.
Chron reports Piper Hospitality Group confirmed the move as The Hop officially closes Tuesday, Aug. 4. Operations manager Ryan Manos said the Webster Preslee’s is targeted for fall 2026, while co-owner Justin Piper said the company could not imagine a better home and wants to preserve the landmark’s spirit.
The replacement marks a sharp change in format, but not necessarily in the building’s role as a gathering place. The Hop opened in 1988 and stayed alive through a decades-spanning playlist, live performances, celebrity visits and a regular crowd whose longtime general manager Kevin Melton described as one big family, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Preslee’s Plans A Larger, More Family-Focused Webster Restaurant
In the new layout, Preslee’s will have 120 indoor dining seats, up from 60 at its Heights location, plus 60 bar seats versus 12. Manos told Chron the outdoor footprint will be smaller and the dance floor will disappear, but a playground and big-screen TVs will remain.
That footprint fits the concept Preslee’s already advertises at its Houston restaurant: Southern food, brunch, a full bar, a kids’ zone and a patio designed for families and pets, according to the eatery’s official website. Its menu includes fried chicken, chicken-fried steak, shrimp and grits, burgers and house-made desserts, meaning Webster regulars may soon be swapping dance-floor calories for dinner-plate calories.
The address also comes with a century of built-in backstory: a Houston Chronicle history of the property said the structure dates to 1916 and has served as a gas station, garage, mercantile, post office and other businesses before becoming The Hop. Preslee’s will be the latest reinvention of a building that has spent more than 100 years adapting to Webster’s changing rhythms.
