The Brief

Houston This Is It Soul Food closed Sunday in Third Ward. The location will become a Mikki’s Soulfood Cafe.

Owner Craig Joseph Sr, his son Craig Jr., and daughter, Janelle Williams, shared the story of the closure, the importance of keeping the family legacy alive and what’s next.

The This Is It Soul Food location in Humble remains open.

HOUSTON – Opening their doors and hearts, for 66 years. This Is It Soul Food has served the City of Houston in more ways than one.

However, at the Third Ward location, their doors closed. Owner Craig Joseph Sr. and his family say another door will soon open.

The restaurant with a 66-year history in Houston closed their location at 2712 Blodgett St on Sunday.

One location remains open at 9441 Farm to Market 1960 Bypass Rd W #700 in Humble.

The restaurant shared news of their closure on social media and shared a message of thanks to their customers:

“Thank you to every guest who walked through our doors, every vendor who stood by our side, and every neighbor who cheered us on through the years. To the city of Houston and the communities near and far who made This Is It Soul Food a place of warmth, connection, and tradition, your trust, your stories, and your unwavering support gave us strength. To our loyal staff, partners, and families who poured hours, heart, and hospitality into every plate and moment, we are deeply grateful for your dedication. 

For over 66 years of business, we have cherished the memories and lessons each season brought. As we close this chapter, we carry with us the memories of shared meals, celebrations, and the enduring spirit of family. From the heart of Fourth Ward to the historic Third Ward, we now say goodbye and we look forward to focusing on growth, re-branding, and innovation at our Humble location. We are grateful for the communities we’ve served across Houston and beyond, and we remain thankful for the relationships that sustained us.”

What they’re saying

In a sit-down with owner Craig Joseph Sr, his son, Craig Jr., and daughter, Janelle Williams, shared more on what’s next.

Craig Joseph Sr. says despite this name, the story doesn’t end in Third Ward.

“This is not it. We have a location in Humble on 1960. Even after 66 years, we are trying to go as many more years we can. It’s just that I was able to pass on the Third Ward location to my son and daughter.”

Janelle Williams, daughter of Craig Joseph Sr., says she and her brother are ready.

“We are not here to replace, we are here to represent Mikki’s and give Mikki’s a try, because This Is It is a hard shoe to fill, but we just want to try to meet him up there.”

Mikki’s Soul Food Cafe is owned by the children of This Is It owner, Craig Joseph Sr.

Big picture view

“So our story, Mikki’s. We started 25 years ago. December 10 will be 25 years, and a neat note about the restaurant is that that was my dad’s first wife,” said son Craig Joseph Jr., co-owner of Mikki’s Soul Food Cafe. “The importance of it, to me, is our mother passed away, and I believe that was me and my sisters first look at reality in this world, life without your mom, and so we had the knowledge of working there for her when she was living. Now that we are on our own, along with the help of my dad, it just kind of all intertwines.”

Craig Joseph Jr. says what is unique about the dynamic is that most soul food restaurants are in competition, but Mikki’s and This Is It were not.

“We never competed. We were just companions,” said Craig Joseph Sr.

Craig Joseph Sr. says it was not hard for him to pass the This Is It legacy onto his kids. He tells FOX 26 stepping down was easy.

“I didn’t feel really bad about it, because had it been a John Doe, I would have felt some kind of way. But since it’s my son, it means that much more.,” said Craig Joseph Sr. “To see that, its history, it’s Black history, to carry on a family business, it’s not often that you get this opportunity.”

Craig Joseph and his sister reflected on growing up working at This Is It and how it shaped them, to carrying on the legacy of Mikki’s as well.

“When I was born, This Is It was open, so this is not him passing down the torch to some random kids that don’t know what they’re doing. We worked in the kitchen, bussing tables, to working to register, to fixing food,” said Joseph Jr.

The History of This Is It Soul Food dates back nearly seven decades

The backstory

“The way This Is It started, it was my grandfather and my grandmother riding through the Fourth Ward Freedman’s Town they call it now, and they stopped at the corner of Andrews and Bucker, because he wanted to start his own business. She said, ‘This Is It.’ He said, ‘this is what,’ and she said this is where we are going to start the business in a old vacant house, and this is how we got the name, This Is It,” said Joseph Sr.

Joseph said one thing that remained the same all these years was the Sunday feeling, but that dates back to the original days of the restaurant.

“What they did was they took the walls out, knocked the frames out, the living room became the dining area, the garage became the kitchen, and history began on Andrews Street, the red brick street, with the train tracks. They started there from 1959 to 1982 and eventually the guy that they were leasing from said, I’ll build you a building on Gray, and that’s when we went to 230 W. Gray. With 12 parking spaces, they could not believe they could generate that kind of revenue with just 12 parking spaces.”

Joseph also reflected despite the move saying how much the business continued to grow. Throughout the years, This Is It has become world-renewed, feeding celebrities such as Houston’s own Beyoncé Knowles – Carter and Kelly Rowland, who had a special named after her, along with other notable figures such as the former First Lady Jill Biden and more. The family-owned business even found themselves in a popular movie.

“You remember the movie “Jason’s Lyric” and when my grandfather was about to retire, some guy came in and wanted to buy him out, and I said, what he’s trying to buy it for? You probably won’t live to see it, and he said, he’ll have to pay you off, so why don’t you just give me the business? I’d rather see us lose it than give it away,” said Joseph Sr. “I said I want to build so you can see the fruits of your labor, and we ended up moving to 207 Gray across the street from the house that I grew up in, so that he can see the business. So I took over in ’94, up until the present day.”

Despite the location changes over the last 66 years, one thing has remained the same.

“I think the community appreciated consistency and family, because is a place where families came together, and we had that. We used to always say it’s a Sunday feel,” said Joseph Sr. “I have some of the same traditions my grandfather did, sit by the front door, watch the business, and so folks come in, they watch, make sure I’m sitting there.”

Mikki’s Café expands

What’s next

Craig Joseph Sr. says he wants the community to support the new Mikki’s location. He adds that just because even though the name is changing, the food will remain the same.

Mikki’s will be a modernized restaurant with private rooms, a full-size bar and plenty of space for seating, along with accent walls, new light fixtures, and more.

Craig Joseph Jr. and his sister, Janelle, say they were born into this, and they want to prove themselves to the community. Both add they understand the importance of keeping tradition alive, but also adding a new modern twist to it.

“We want the community to know once we open those doors, we are not half-steppin’, we are not just here to make money. This was enriched in our souls to do this,” said Craig Joseph Jr.

“I feel like as long as we stay genuine to the recipes and the great mold that we have, with good food, good music, and great customer service, we will be fine,” said Janelle Williams.

What’s next

Craig Joseph Sr., Craig Joseph Jr., and Janelle Williams, want to thank Houston and others who continuously supported their family all these years, whether it was at Mikki’s or This Is It.

“Houston, just thank you for giving us a shot. Thank you for supporting my mother when she first started,” said Craig Joseph Jr.

“This Is It, wanna thank the community for the past, present, and we are going to thank them in advance for the future. Without the community, there would not have been a This Is It,” said Craig Joseph Sr.

Craig Jr. and Janelle will host a grand opening of the new Mikki’s Café location in Third Ward on October 26.

The Source

The information in this article comes from a Facebook post by Houston This Is It Soul Food.