Fainmous BBQ in Houston plans to close Sawyer Yards location amid $72,000 rent dispute

A Houston barbecue business says its retail dining room is nearing an end

Fainmous BBQ, a Houston barbecue restaurant known for East Tennessee-style offerings, is preparing to shut down its brick-and-mortar operation at Sawyer Yards as a dispute over unpaid rent reaches a deadline. The restaurant’s owners, James and Karen Fain, have said they received a lease-default notice demanding payment of more than $72,000 by the weekend of Feb. 15, 2026.

The restaurant is located at 1201 Oliver St., Suite 50, in the First Ward area within the Sawyer Yards development. While the retail restaurant is expected to close, the owners have indicated their catering business is planned to continue, shifting the company’s focus away from dine-in service.

How the outstanding balance accumulated

The Fains have attributed the debt to overlapping disruptions since their move into the development roughly five years ago, including the COVID-19 shutdown period, changing consumer conditions after reopening, and extended construction activity around the property. They have described a series of operational cutbacks, including letting staff go and scaling down retail service, as the business redirected effort toward catering.

The owners have also said the balance reflected prolonged hardship rather than a short-term missed payment, and that they view relocation as the most realistic path forward.

Landlord describes extended rent flexibility and an unfulfilled payment plan

Lovett Commercial, which owns the property, has acknowledged the public fundraising effort tied to the situation and said it worked with the restaurant over an extended period. The company has described providing flexibility on rent and a structured payment plan that it said was not completed, adding that incomplete payments over several years contributed to the outstanding balance.

The landlord declined to outline what enforcement actions could follow if the balance is not paid.

Relocation fundraising targets moving costs, not rent repayment

The owners have launched a GoFundMe campaign aimed at covering the costs of leaving the Sawyer Yards space and relocating to a new catering kitchen. They have said the funds are intended for moving and restarting elsewhere, not to retire the back-rent balance. As of Feb. 13, 2026, the campaign had raised more than $3,000.

Key confirmed timeline points

• 2011: The Fains opened their barbecue business in the Meyerland area.
• March 2020: The planned move-in at Sawyer Yards coincided with the onset of the pandemic, delaying operations.
• December 2022: Unpaid balances cited in the lease-default notice date back to this period.
• 2025: The owners said their lease term ended, and they were offered an extension paired with a restructured payment approach.
• Feb. 15, 2026: Deadline cited for paying the demanded amount.

With the Sawyer Yards location expected to close, the business’s next phase is centered on maintaining catering operations while seeking a new kitchen site.