Shocking Restaurant News: B-19’s Cooper and Clark ‘Part Ways,’ Divvy Up Famous Eateries

Shocking Restaurant News: B-19’s Cooper and Clark ‘Part Ways,’ Divvy Up Famous Eateries

Grant Cooper and Charles Clark at the late great Ibiza in Midtown.

THE FORMER PARTNERS of the noted Clark Cooper Concepts restaurant company — whose eateries have included the River Oaks shopping strip’s Brasserie 19 and the Rice Village’s similarly scene-y Gratify — issued separate press releases this morning announcing that founding chef Charles Clark and founding restaurateur Grant Cooper have split.


Per a rep for Clark: “Charles Clark and Grant Cooper have decided to part ways after 20 years as business partners. Charles Clark will take the reins and become the face of Brasserie 19. The decision comes as Charles wanted to maintain one to two simple concepts and Grant desired to grow in a different direction.”

“There is no bad blood between me and Grant,” said Clark in a statement. “We just wanted different things. Grant wants to expand and do different concepts, and I want to grow in a different way. I want to do a lounge and continue the legacy and tradition of Brasserie 19.”

The brightly white-marble-washed brasserie is widely known to the in-crowd that has long patronized it as B-19. The see-and-be scene was the follow-up to Clark Cooper Concepts’ first huge hit, the late great Ibiza in Midtown, which highlighted the affable Clark’s aplomb with Mediterranean fare and seafood — and Cooper’s room-working charm.

Clark added of the recent news, “Why should we be locked to each other? We have worked well together for over 20 years and have built many successful restaurants. I value the partnership and success Grant and I have both seen over the years. This separation gives us both the opportunity to do what we want.”

Camp Cooper positioned the breakup this way: Cooper and Clark “will no longer operate under the Clark Cooper Concepts umbrella. They part as friends, looking forward to continuing to serve the community of loyal patrons that have become like family to them.”

Cooper — the ever-cool, gray-bearded, hipster-hat-wearing man about the dining room — will rebrand as Good Vibe Hospitality, he says, and maintain full ownership of former duo’s Coppa Osteria, which is the popular Italian restaurant next door to Gratify, and the upcoming Flora, set to open next month in the beautiful, twinkling space formerly called The Dunlavy on Allen Parkway.

Cooper’s rep added that the restaurateur “feels lucky to embark on this upcoming journey.”

The now closed Ibiza

The kitchen at Ibiza

The wine wall at Ibiza

The lounge at Gratify

Gratify Oysters on the Half Shell

Entrees at Gratify

Food

I AM AN accomplished philanthropist, esteemed motivational speaker, renowned fitness expert, and host of an engaging podcast UNHINGED. Through my diversified endeavors, I have established several successful ventures, including TR Beauty and The Vault, a private community catering to like-minded people. Additionally, I am the founder of Houston Style Icons, a platform dedicated to honoring and acknowledging Houstonian style, and Fashion Woodlands, an annual fashion show that I have meticulously curated. Furthermore, I actively engage with my audience through my YouTube channel, providing valuable content and insights.

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BRIAN BOYTER IS a Houston native with an interesting background in real estate. After an impressive 16-year tenure managing commercial transactions in a Fortune 500 Real Estate Investment Trust, he recently made the shift to high-end residential brokerage. The experience left him uniquely suited to thrive in the sometimes-emotional world of buying or selling a home.

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