Meet Morgan Weber, Purveyor of Good Times
Houston may be the fourth largest city in the United States, but its heart was built by small town folks. Hailing from Yoakum, Texas, one of these small towns roughly three hours from Houston, Morgan Weber brought his ferocious appetite for tinkering and built that curiosity into a series of bars and eateries for all to enjoy.
One of the best patio bars in town.
As owner and beverage director of Agricole Hospitality, his domain reigns over Houston favorites neighborhood butcher shop and café Revival Market, Texas-flared Italian restaurant Coltivare and bar Eight Row Flint with more coming soon. Whatver you may fancy, Agricole has you covered.
Leuisure or pleasure. They have it covered
After Hurricane Harvey bullied his way through town, I found some time to grab tacos and a drink at Eight Row Flint. As my favorite spot in town, it was only fitting to grab a chair with Morgan,and see how they were doing after the huge storm hit and then dive a little deeper into his story.
Luckily, Eight Row Flint weathered the storm without physical damage, allowing the doors to reopen quickly with relief in mind. Thanks to Morgan, they have been heavily involved in relief efforts even putting their cocktails to good use, raising $40,000 with fashion designer Billy Reid during a warehouse sale of clothing in which all proceeds went to food and industry people affected by Harvey. Between these efforts and sales of specific cocktails, Eight Row Flint is sending 100% of those proceeds to Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund and Southern Smoke TX.
Long before these efforts, Morgan departed Yoakum for Baylor University, he originally was in the pursuit of church music, but found his passions shift towards jazz. When graduation came, he headed to Houston for a job in real estate acquisition, departing from the music industry before he even began.
Inside or outside, standing or seated, Morgan is always glad to see you.
In those early years, Morgan took his “inherently curious” character down a rabbit hole in the cocktail world to start the well-known bar Anvil. He soon left this venture, returning home to Yoakum in a new pursuit on the family farm that his grandparents had run. As he puts it, “I nerded out on pigs,” raising a few varieties that brought him right back to Houston. Selling to several key restaurants in Houston, Morgan naturally fell in with industry chefs and purveyors. With Chef Ryan Pera, he would open craft butcher shop and café called Revival Market, then Coltivare, an Italian restaurant, before establishing Eight Row Flint. “The concepts just happened organically.”
Take a seat...if you can get one.
“Fancy cocktails” as the menu proclaims
Throughout our conversation, it was abundantly clear that Morgan thrives off of curiosity. If something sparks even the smallest attention, “I’m going down a wormhole. I won’t settle for mediocre knowledge.” This thirst keeps his concepts fresh down to the minutest details. Although you may not realize it when entering these establishments, those are the elements that make them unique and subconsciously keep us returning. Even further, you may not realize it upon the next return, but those details are also constantly evolving. “My goal is to better an idea, so it’s a constant pursuit.” To some it may seem overwhelming, but for Morgan, this keeps him going. “If you are not happy with where you are, you never achieve the goal.” This is progress in its simplest concept.
His roots brought him from a small town to a major metropolis where the tinkering nature of his grandfather has been allowed to flourish. The products may be housed in Houston, but the concepts generally come to life when he is free from this environment. Forced creativity is the absolute worst roadblock for Morgan.
Knowing this, he surrounds himself with curious people and refrains from those whom are close-minded. It’s simple, don’t be the most interesting person in the room. It’s also easy to adhere to this when pursuing his favorite activities of hiking and camping, fly fishing rivers and fall duck hunting. “My best ideas have come while sitting around a campfire drinking a little whiskey.” Life in a city is noisy; we could all use a little escape to nature for a reset and clear thinking.
In the end, Morgan may struggle with forced creativity, but his tenacious “pursuit for better, not the best” keeps the ball rolling. He will explore new avenues even in established markets because there are always unopened doors and tweaks to be made.
One of the many taco options that should gladly accompany your drink of choice.
This is not for decoration. This is where the real magic happens.
When asked for advice to other business owners, Morgan left it straightforward. First, don’t make excuses. Second, failure cannot be an option, it’s not only for yourself. “You have to go down with the ship or be the leader that pulls them up.” Finally, “sociopathic compartmentalization is what keeps me alive. You will either learn to compartmentalize concepts or let them eat you up.”
Joshua Black Wilkins strumming some tunes on a Tuesday evening. You never know what Eight Row Flint could do next.
Morgan Weber. A man certainly not scared to use his own hands in the work.
With this many choices, you may need to come more than once.
Whatever your pleasure, Morgan and Agricole Hospitality have you covered just as American Express has them covered. Not only do they accept American Express, but it is the card of choice for taking care of their own purchases. Did you know that over 2,500 more restaurant locations in the Houston area started accepting American Express Cards in 2016? The next time you are ready to leave the house, swing through one of the Agricole spots knowing your American Express is always welcomed too.
