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"A Houston institution for more than 80 years, Lankford’s Grocery and Market is a family-owned burger joint whose legacy began in 1937 when Aubrey and Nona Prior opened it as a mom-and-pop grocery and whose daughter Eydie Lankford Prior later transformed it into a full-service restaurant lauded by local publications and featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Its newest Bellaire outpost (opening May 15, 2023) preserves the original menu—more than a dozen juicy burgers including the decadent Grim burger topped with macaroni and cheese, jalapeño, bacon, and a sunny-side-up egg—along with hearty breakfast items, sandwiches, and sides like tater tots, onion rings, and fries, while adding an innovative self-serve tap wall with 20 beer, cider, and wine taps; diners get RFID wristbands that track pours by the ounce so they can sample and pour themselves, a system the owners say reduces keg waste and highlights local breweries, and which iPourit says has helped around 300 businesses increase alcohol sales by nearly 40% and free up staff to focus on food. Third-generation owners Jessica and Paul Prior are pushing the legacy forward with this technology and draft beer addition, and the Bellaire location will be open weekdays 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and weekends 7 a.m. to 10 p.m." - Brittany Britto Garley