HOUSTON – In Houston, the holiday season brings a curious tradition involving two local businesses with a shared name: The Flying Saucer Pie Company and The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium.
Despite their vastly different offerings—one specializing in iconic pies and the other in craft beer—their similar names have created a playful holiday confusion that spans decades.
Jordan Lewis is a Louisiana Native living in Houston. He said his co-worker purchased a Flying Saucer Pie Company pie and told him he had to try one! He walked into the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium looking for a pie, while our KPRC 2 crews were visiting.
“I’m downtown Houston looking for a pie for my family, but this is obviously a brewery. So, they don’t sell pies,” Lewis said. “I’m getting on the road to head to Louisiana for the Holiday, so I need to rush over to The Heights, I guess.”
It’s not uncommon for a bustling city like Houston to house businesses with overlapping names. This recurring mix-up has turned into an annual joke among locals and staff, particularly at the Draught Emporium. Joshua Justice heads marketing for the Brewery. He says this mix-up will live on for ages.
“This is the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, and obviously there is a long-running institution, the Flying Saucer Pie Company. They’ve been around over 50 years. Every year, they have long lines, and every year without fail, we get confused for them and vice versa,” Justice said.
While they may not sell dessert pies, the Draught Emporium leans into the humor with unique “Pie and Beer Pairings.”
Justice explained their creative twist on the confusion.
“Going back probably about 10 years, we go over to Flying Saucer Pie Company, grab a bunch of pies, and we will do ‘Pie and Beer Pairings.’ This year, we sold about 50, other years, upwards of 100,” Justice said.
The beer hall has become a community gathering spot, offering a slice of home during tough times. Justice noted that the bar stayed open during Houston’s freeze and two significant floods, even as many other businesses closed, temporarily.
“We operate under the mindset that bars are a place the community goes. There are obviously more crucial places people can go during times of crisis, but a bar is a place that people can feel safe” Justice said.
Though the team at the Draught Emporium remains ready to redirect pie-seekers to the Flying Saucer Pie Company, they joke that it’s all part of their holiday charm.
“Yeah, don’t just search Flying Saucer,” one server advised over a phone call.
“Search Flying Saucer Pie Company,” she responds with a smirk, adding a tally to the “pie call counter” board.
