Pappas Seafood House location in Houston becoming new concept

Houston Business Journal | Laura Gillespie

July 23, 2019 - Pappas Restaurants is introducing a new concept to its range of restaurants.

The Pappas Seafood House at 6945 Interstate 45 South has changed its menu to become Pappas Shrimp Shack; renovations at the restaurant to change signage and interior will come later.

Christina Pappas, director of marketing with Pappas Restaurants, said that the company wanted to create a seafood menu at a more “approachable” price point — entrees at Pappas Seafood House might cost between $20 and $40. After looking at locations for the new concept, the team settled on the location at I-45 South and Woodridge. The company also has Pappas Seafood House locations at 11301 I-45 N. in north Houston, 3001 S. Shepherd in Montrose, 20410 Highway 59 N. in Humble and 19991 I-45 S. in Webster.

The Pappas team began to introduce the new menu options in April and fully transitioned to the new menu by May. The transition to using the "Pappas Shrimp Shack" brand will happen at an undetermined date.

Pappas said that the restaurant group has a great relationship with local seafood purveyors and fishermen — that helped the group decide to implement the new concept.

“We can get really high-quality seafood … (and) provide it to our guests in a place that you can eat every day, or at least once a week, rather than just special occasions,” Pappas said.

Appetizers at the new Shrimp Shack include oysters, peel-and-eat shrimp and crab cakes, with prices ranging between $10 and $18. Simpler appetizers can be as low as $5. Entrees include po’boys, grilled and fried fish, as well as crab and shrimp platters, which start at $13.95 and go up to roughly $30.

Pappas said that the team is dealing with construction permits at the moment, and the outcome of those will determine whether the restaurant has to close for renovations or not. The company needs to ensure new elements such as the bathroom are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.


The only cost for the changes came from some new equipment and the cost of paper for new menus, Pappas said. No new chefs were brought in — Pappas Restaurants has a team of chefs, led by Michael Velardi, who tested new menu items. That process took less than a month.

“We’re really excited. … We think it’s going to be really fun,” Pappas said.