Houston has plenty of restaurants that have grown from neighborhood haunts into full-fledged chains. Still, there’s something special about businesses that can keep the original charm all these years later, like Lankford’s.
The beloved burger joint has opened two more locations in the last three years. But the original Lankford’s is still tucked inside a grocery store-turned-house that is still drawing in longtime loyal fans almost a century later.
‘Historic roots, modern food’
While Lankford’s is known for its thick, juicy burgers that have even gained national attention from Guy Fieri, the restaurant’s legacy began with something much smaller: a fruit stand across the street.
Aubrey and Nona Lankford ran their produce stand in the 1930s until its neighboring building went up for sale. The couple seized on the opportunity, turning their produce stand into a grocery store in 1937.
While selling goods on the first floor, the Lankfords raised their kids on the second. One of their children was Eydie Lankford Prior, who took over the space in the early 1980s, turning it into an ice house with a pool table and a dart machine. It wasn’t long before the family business evolved yet again, ushering in a new era as a full-service restaurant that remains in its same Midtown spot now under third-generation owners, Paul and Jessica Prior…