The team behind a popular Houston pizzeria and bar is speaking out following its owner’s arrest over not having a food permit.
Last Wednesday, Betelgeuse Betelgeuse owner Christopher Lee Cusack was arrested and charged with misdemeanor failure to comply with local health or sanitary laws, specifically at its 2101 Washington Ave. location. Shortly after, the restaurant was closed with a written note out front until it reopened again Friday night.
Betelgeuse did not previously announce or address the closure. The business posted a photo Monday of an authorized permit for that location.
“For no reason at all here’s one of the many permits we make sure to keep active and in good standing as a proud Houston locally owned independent business. Go support your favorite local place today,” Betelgeuse Betelgeuse wrote on Instagram.
Cusack declined to comment, instead referring to the exclusive interview he gave CultureMap Houston. He told Eric Sandler a Houston Health Department inspector came to Betelgeuse Betelgeuse’s flagship location on May 4 and asked to see the restaurant’s grease trap, which the restaurant allegedly never had. Two days later, that inspector returned for a follow-up with more colleagues from the health department, TABC inspectors, and Houston Police Department officers. Cusack claimed he received between 21 to 25 citations.
He told CultureMap he had a permit for the former food truck but not one for Betelgeuse Betelgeuse. He said he was arrested because the alleged violation had previously been cited during an October 2025 inspection.
According to court documents, Cusack was released under court-imposed conditions and has a scheduled court appearance set for May 13.