All is well 'On the Rocks'

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Loyal customers of On the Rocks Restaurant & Bar in Cottonwood Shores were in a stir this week over concerns that the business had been shut down.

“Everything is fine and we have not been closed,” said co-owner Matt Orlando, after an online report (not associated with The Highlander) suggested the popular business was closed.

The buzz began when the eatery and music venue, which advertises a “great dam view” for its panorama up and down stream from Wirtz Dam, got visits from two state agencies in one day.

“We have added a pavilion to seat 250 people,” said Orlando. “It will be enclosed for an indoor ballroom."

"It was really in relation to that work and a regular inspection that the Texas Fire Marshals Office looked that On the Rocks was “red flagged,” according to Jimmy Ethridge, one of the managers.

“That was Tuesday (Feb. 13) and the kitchen was shut down 12 hours,” he said. "But we never closed."

“Our fire suppression company was here by 7 a.m. and everything was taken care of by 10 a.m.,” said Orlando. “We were open for drinks and snacks and the Valentine dinners were great yesterday (Wednesday, Feb. 14.)”

“The patrons have no worries,” said deputy state fire marshal. “Any deficiencies will be corrected in accordance to NFPA 1, Fire Code and NFPA 101, Life Safety Code.”

The second state visit was one that strikes a shiver into any business owner--a call from Texas Comptroller field officers for a deficiency in sales tax remittance.

“It has been a terrible winter and we did owe sales tax,” said Orlando. “We have now paid it all.”

Kevin Lyons, press secretary for the State Controller, said the office does have the authority to close a business and levy or garnish payments from a businesses bank account, but that did not happen in this case.

“We hope everyone will come out and see all the new work here, for the food and the view and the great live music,” said Orlando, speaking from On the Rocks at its 4401 Cottonwood Drive location on Thursday.

Another favorite dining spot in Cottonwood Shores—Huey O’s World’s Best Burgers—that also was in arrears with sales tax did shut down in November.

“But they closed themselves,” said Lyons. “The liability is $8,699.”

Musician Huey O. Sherrill began the business in 2013 in LBJ Food Mart (aka The Yellow Store) then in 2015 moved it to 510 Castlerock Avenue in Cottonwood Shores.

On his Facebook page, Sherrill, “the state comptroller has seized my money at Huey O's and demands payment on three months of back taxes or else we will not be able to open the doors back up.”

Friends established a Go Fund Me account and said, “Mr. Huey, has had his share of hard knocks here lately.

“It all started awhile back when he had fallen ill and was hospitalized and then was ordered to take chemo treatments to try and get himself feeling better and back in good health again, and then during all that his marriage fell apart and ended in a divorce.
“When you add all those things together and no incoming income in the mix, you get a truck load of debt...This account is being set up strictly just to help with the debt that has already occurred and not anything else ”

At that time Sherrill's friends said he owed $12,000. Contributions were insufficient apparently. Huey O's remains closed.