Keller's first chef-driven restaurant is closing: FnG Eats, an upscale restaurant that opened at 201 Town Center in 2012, will close after 12 years.

Co-owner Bob Stephenson, a veteran and colorful chef who previously worked at Cool River Cafe, said that he and partner Carlos Arevalo and the team felt that the restaurant had run its course. They're currently planning on January 18 as their last day.

A statement from the restaurant said, "We came to Keller with a vision to bring the first Chef Driven restaurant. We’ve had a nice run!"

"Like the groceries in your kitchen, the medications on your shelf, sometimes the fashion in your closet….actually, everything in life; restaurants have a shelf life," the post said. "After long discussions with family, partners and our landlords, we feel FnG Eats has reached its shelf life."

The restaurant never fully recovered from the pandemic, and was also besieged by maintenance expenses as well as grappling with the economy.

"The restaurant never truly recovered from the COVID pandemic," the post said. "We were not able to rebuild the off premise and special event business we had pre-pandemic. We’ve also endured tons of repair and maintenance challenges in the last year as many of our regulars can attest to."

"Inflation and the economy also had a role in this decision," the post said. "It is a pure profit loss situation, and a business decision."

FnG was one of the few fancy restaurants in Keller, beloved not only for its food and craft cocktails, but also for being a pillar of the community.

FnG Eats wedge salad.FnG

The menu included a little something for everyone, with wedge salad, chicken pecan salad, Kobe beef sliders, meatloaf, fish & chips, deviled eggs, steak, a burger, and a flatbread whose toppings changed weekly. It was not only nice, but also reasonably priced, with most entrees topping out in the low $20s.

"We want to stay open for one more week to properly run down our food and alcohol on hand, let guests with gift cards come in to use those up before we close, let our regulars come in to say good bye to long term staff, let our staff be able to get a full paycheck before the end of the month, give them a week to find new employment, let us have time to leave the facility in good order so the landlord can re-lease as soon as possible," the post said.

They'll also be reaching out to contacts to help with references and letters of recommendation for all their staff members.

They have two wine dinners scheduled on Wednesday January 15 and Thursday January 16 — for which they still have some seats available.

"It is a bittersweet ending to a very fun and challenging chapter, but this is not the last chapter by any means," they said.