Tookie’s Says Goodbye to Seabrook – Their Fans say ‘See Ya on the Other Side’

The iconic green building with yellow trim brings back a lot of memories for many long time residents in Seabrook and the surrounding areas. The legendary burger joint had survived many floods, several tropical depressions and a major hurricane over the past 40 years, but after Hurricane Ike dumped 5 feet of water into the legendary building, the original owner planned on shutting the doors forever. Local residents were devastated that they could no longer get their favorite burger; some loyal fans even created a Facebook page called, “Bring back S. W. Tookie’s!” But the building sat vacant for a few years until Barry Terrell, owner of Kemah’s iconic T-Bone Tom’s Steakhouse (located at 707 Hwy. 146) rescued the restaurant and bought the building, the name and the recipes from the original owner, Jim Spears who agreed to the sale with the stipulation that they serve the same food and use the original recipes that made the hamburger joint so popular since it opened in 1975. 

People tend to get nostalgic about the places they enjoyed in their youth, and they hold a special place in their heart where they keep the memories of past birthdays, celebrations and random nights out with the family alive forever. When Tookie’s made a Facebook post on Jan 23 announcing their big move, fans lit up social media and shared Tookie’s original post more than 891 times. The post has almost two thousand views (at press time) and locals continue to leave comments, show their support and share their memories of the legendary burger joint. Many People were tagging each other to make plans to visit the Seabrook location one last time, some of them traveling over 3000 miles to make the special trip back home, others posted about their favorite menu items such as, the Vanilla Cokes, the #99, the Squealer, the Bean Burger, the homemade onion rings and the milkshakes they remember from their childhood. There were even quite a few posts from Facebook fans with three and four generations of loyal Tookie’s customers who plan to make the trip over the bridge and continue their family’s Tookie’s tradition.

Their last week in Seabrook was busy with local residents and people from all over the country coming to eat their last burger at the original Tookie’s location and merchandise branded with the Seabrook, TX logo was flying off the shelves. One customer got a little crazy and tried to take off with the train that has been rolling down the tracks along the ceiling since the re-opening after Hurricane Ike. Many people have recalled memories of the train from their childhood when they would visit Tookie’s in the 1980s; however, the train wasn’t actually added to the décor until 2011, when the building got a make-over from Terrell and crew.

Tookie’s Vice President, Ali Velasco, responsible for the addition of the train, recalls how he came up with the idea, “My grandfather was a steel mill worker in Pittsburgh. I lived there for a while. My mom was born there. Trains ran all over Pittsburgh then and still do to this day. I grew up with model trains and have a really large collection of them. I always thought a train would be awesome in a restaurant. Kids, parents, and grandparents – everyone likes trains. It’s been a lot of fun for our customers and us.”

Whether it’s the traffic lights, the stained glass, the vintage signs, the train or the fun house-style mirror in the entryway, loyal Tookie’s fans all have a favorite piece of memorabilia they would like to see when they visit the new location – something that will remind them of the original Tookie’s they have visited for so many years. And they will not be disappointed.

“We’re bringing everything over from the original Tookie’s, all of the memorabilia, so the new location will still have the same nostalgic hometown feel that Tookie’s has always had,” said General Manager, Lynda Hamilton.

When Tookie’s took over the new Kemah location, the first thing they did was paint the outside of the building green with yellow trim. There’s no better way to identify the Tookie’s brand than that.

“Creating the same vibe and atmosphere found at the original Tookie’s was at the forefront of every remodeling decision we made,” Lynda said.

They built a train track with bridges in one of the dining rooms just below the ceiling, and they even built custom cutouts in the walls of the new location to encase the vintage pieces of stained glass that have been hanging on the walls and ceiling of the original location for more than four decades.

Although there might be a few new items added in the future, the menu will remain the same. Loyal fans will still be able to order any of their favorite burgers, like the legendary Squealer (their blissful burger with a handmade beef patty that is blended with bacon) or the Stomp’s Ice House Special. They will still be making the same thick onion rings from scratch and serving the same home-spun milkshakes their fans have come to love, and they will continue to wrap the food in green and white-checkered paper, serving it in baskets like they always have. The kids will still receive their color book-style menu with crayons, and don’t worry music lovers; they will continue to play the same music from their awesome playlist.

The Tookie’s brand will thrive in the new location, which is much larger and has a more open floor plan than the original building. Guests will appreciate the roomier entryway where they can grab the latest issue of The SCENE Magazine and sit comfortably while they wait for an open table, which shouldn’t take long since additional tables will be added to the various dining rooms in the new space. There is also a much larger bar area, bigger and better bathrooms, and a sizeable grill allowing the cooks to make more burgers, much faster. They will be adding a variety of flavors to their milkshake menu and will also add more craft beers to their selection. A large patio is being constructed and they predict to have it ready by spring break.

So as we say good-bye to a building that has been a part of our community’s history for more than 40 years, we won’t have to say good-bye to the reason we fell in love with it in the first place.

Thanks for the memories Tookie’s, and we’ll see you on the other side.