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Thread of local businesses that don't survive the coronavirus

CooterBrown

By CooterBrown
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MaybeACoordinator

MaybeACoordinator 8349

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Cousin Strawberry said:

Dickey's has to be a money laundering front, right?  I don't know anyone that has ever eaten at one and when I occasionally walk by a Dickey's its completely vacant.

I think its found its niche as shitty gas station on the freeway BBQ, where its main competitor is Buc-ee's. (Which isn't terrible in the same way Taco Bell isn't terrible -- just remove it from consideration as actual BBQ and judge it as just food.)

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hayden_horn

hayden_horn 11365

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Larry T. Spider said:

If the state (Robin Hood) would quit taking 46% (yes, that’s the real number) of the taxes collected by Austin ISD, we would pass fewer bonds. The state can’t raid the bond money so it’s a necessity. I’ll stop there to avoid CR.

it's not CR. austin isd is getting fucking killed due to recapture. top that off with declining enrollment, and you have essentially a death sentence.

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Larry T. Spider

Larry T. Spider 1747

Posted
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28 minutes ago, hayden_horn said:

it's not CR. austin isd is getting fucking killed due to recapture. top that off with declining enrollment, and you have essentially a death sentence.

I live it everyday. It’s common sense to anybody that knows the details but then you get into how to fix it and looking at which members of the legislature are completely fine with fucking Austin over....and away we go.

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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

Posted
Posted

Drove by there Westgate location earlier this week and it was open.  But "Open" and economically viable are wildly different things right now.  

Less than a mile away is a place with a very similiar menu and price points:  BJ's Brewhouse, sitting there---just waiting to suck, but it's got parent company lines of credit and a bizarre following of South Austinites with shitty taste in food to keep it afloat.  

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G650

G650 14273

Posted
Posted
16 hours ago, tbone_ said:


Doesn’t work that way. No judgement or politics in this statement at all, but our system is set up to consolidate capital in the hands of the few. I’m convinced the mega trend is eventually all assets will be held by a few large institutions. Yes I’m trying to profit (make a living) from it. No I don’t like it at all.

I've said this for years but no one believes me.

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Godzillatron

Godzillatron 292

Posted
Posted
Property taxes are out of control as is city spending. 
 
Haven’t seen any city leaders offering to suspend property taxes to help people and landlords keep people on their homes,


Quite the contrary, see city of Austin and Travis County using the crisis as a reason to suspend the caps passed in the last legislature to increase property tax rates.
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Cajun

Cajun 11722

Posted
Posted
20 hours ago, Larry T. Spider said:

I live it everyday. It’s common sense to anybody that knows the details but then you get into how to fix it and looking at which members of the legislature are completely fine with fucking Austin over....and away we go.

Austin has done just fine fucking itself over Larry.

It ain't all the other guy's fault brother.

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Larry T. Spider

Larry T. Spider 1747

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, Cajun said:

Austin has done just fine fucking itself over Larry.

It ain't all the other guy's fault brother.

I’m talking specifically about Austin ISD, recapture, and how that impacts bond decisions. This year we are submitting a 612 million dollar payment to the state, which is 46% of all local revenue. It is also equal to the total salaries of all district employees from bus drivers to the superintendent. This requires the district to operate on bond money that stays 100% local and can’t be raided by the state, but further fucks Austin taxpayers. Then we can’t have nice things. Thanks for coming to my ted talk.

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South Austin

South Austin 52559

Posted
Posted
21 hours ago, Lobo said:

Drove by there Westgate location earlier this week and it was open.  But "Open" and economically viable are wildly different things right now.  

Less than a mile away is a place with a very similiar menu and price points:  BJ's Brewhouse, sitting there---just waiting to suck, but it's got parent company lines of credit and a bizarre following of South Austinites with shitty taste in food to keep it afloat.  

Your mom's a big fan of BJ's.

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Cajun

Cajun 11722

Posted
Posted (edited)
8 hours ago, Larry T. Spider said:

I’m talking specifically about Austin ISD, recapture, and how that impacts bond decisions. This year we are submitting a 612 million dollar payment to the state, which is 46% of all local revenue. It is also equal to the total salaries of all district employees from bus drivers to the superintendent. This requires the district to operate on bond money that stays 100% local and can’t be raided by the state, but further fucks Austin taxpayers. Then we can’t have nice things. Thanks for coming to my ted talk.

Fair enough.  Let's just not let that specificity shroud the fact that ATX has been eating itself from the inside by measure of its own appetites.  The lion's share of "fucking Austin over" has zero to do with the Leg (especially if we're talking taxes) and everything to do with the local jackasses that are given the keys to the kingdom year after year.

Just sayin'.

Edited by Cajun
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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 45702

Posted
Posted
On 5/11/2020 at 10:06 PM, Anastasis said:

Anybody got a pulse check on Hyde park bar and grille?

Picked up from the original location two nights ago.  Can't tell how busy they are because they share the parking lot with Antonelli's and the cheese people have been raking during all this.

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Anastasis

Anastasis 23481

Posted
Posted
10 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

Picked up from the original location two nights ago.  Can't tell how busy they are because they share the parking lot with Antonelli's and the cheese people have been raking during all this.

Good to hear about Antonellis. 

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 45702

Posted
Posted
9 minutes ago, Anastasis said:

Good to hear about Antonellis. 

Yeah, their virtual cheese classes especially.  Pre-covid they would have classes for about 20-30 people and now the virtual ones are up to like 150 people and all of them are full.  Same price and you just go to the store the day of the class and pick up the cheese, then log onto the computer at home.

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Spaulding Smails

Spaulding Smails 1555

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15 minutes ago, Gourmand said:

Weird, nobody goes to Ski Shores for the food so I'm not sure how that's going to work out right there.

Ski Shores had the best burgers in town before Austin Java bought them.  At least, that was my opinion after being on the lake all day and drinking 18 Natural Lights in the sun.  I went a few years back, and it just looked and felt sterile and contrived.  Wasn't the same as the dive joint with a low ceiling, no AC and walk-up window.

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Gourmand

Gourmand 7774

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Posted

It's a solid option for parents who want a frozen rita or cold beer on the water because they have a great kid area. We'll go just for that, but the food is just run-of-the-mill fried pub grub you can get literally anywhere and the stoner service can be annoying when you're ready for another round or the check. I'm not sure how any of that will carry over to 78704.

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4th&Five

4th&Five 41579

Posted
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Just now, Gourmand said:

It's a solid option for parents who want a frozen rita or cold beer on the water because they have a great kid area. We'll go just for that, but the food is just run-of-the-mill fried pub grub you can get literally anywhere and the stoner service can be annoying when you're ready for another round or the check. I'm not sure how any of that will carry over to 78704.

we were at city park last summer and decided to go there for dinner.  not real busy but the hostess told us she'd be right back to seat us.  we waited about 10 or 15 minutes and nobody ever came back and none of the waiters walking by ever sat us.  it became comical the more time went by.

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 45702

Posted
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1 hour ago, 4th&Five said:

we were at city park last summer and decided to go there for dinner.  not real busy but the hostess told us she'd be right back to seat us.  we waited about 10 or 15 minutes and nobody ever came back and none of the waiters walking by ever sat us.  it became comical the more time went by.

Seinfeld, four!

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Degenerate Gardner

Degenerate Gardner 4085

Posted
Posted (edited)
14 hours ago, Whitewater Horn said:

RIP Shady Grove.  I spent many evenings there outside enjoying great live music, drinks, and one of the only places in town to get a decent green chile cheeseburger. 

I'm sad to hear about this one. Shady Grove was never fine dining but it was reasonably priced, consistently good, and kid friendlier than a Raydog post. I've been gone from Austin for years but still think about the Green Chile fries. RIP Shady Grove

Edited by Degenerate Gardner
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troph

troph 24904

Posted
Posted
Yep.   We're a large city with way more disposable income and a much higher penchant for dining/drinking out than most cities.  And we're losing local icons every single week.  Imagine what this thing looks like in the rest of the country.  But we fail at one thing, we like to talk about saving local business while we still each at the same bullshit chains over and over again from Georgetown to Pflugerville to Leander to Buda to Kyle to Bastrop.  We like to remember the old joints back in Austin, but we make zero fucking effort to eat there.  The outpouring of sadness on the old site when fucking Fuddrucker's closed was insane.  People wept about it more than they did about Hut's.  These great local joints were hanging on by a thread as is.  In the end, the confiscatory taxes and the full stop of business 2.5 months ago did them in.  We all miss them. We all have fun times.  But fact is, if people gave as much of a shit about them as they did about protesting capitols to get back to Chili's...More (not all) of them would have been in a position to get back to some decent balance sheet as we all come back online this month/this summer.  
The cool M.O. is to hit these places up in your 20's when you're strapped for cash.  Move away to Houston.  Then when you come back to Austin with some real cash to drop, hit up Pappadeaux's to see if it's at all like the one you go to back in Houston.  That's why these places are fucked.  That mentality.  But yes, the taxes and virus put the final nail in the coffin.  People like to whine that these local joints are too expensive, but the shitty chains they visit are just as expensive in the end.  They just like sterile, shitty predictable food.  Like is easier in the bubble.  I can't wait for the Landry's trail of tears...

We’ve migrated to a more sophisticated palate. What shady grove was to us is now Perlas, Clark’s, Elizabeth street, Uchi, uchiko, home slice, barely swine, and the list goes on and on. I’m sad, but those that want the authentic experience today have a different taste.

And not only that, somewhere along the way that family shifted - understandably - from a restaurant to make a living to a covered land play to amass wealth. Can’t blame them. That’s not a restaurant site anymore at that value. We would all sell to developers at some point. That’s why when you see calls for public private partnerships in areas like Red River we have to pay attention and support them otherwise the lower value uses will undoubtedly be forced out. But back to shady grove - it would still be there if the land wasn’t so valuable. They would have to find a way to stay alive. Here they don’t have to and I don’t blame them.
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BrazilHorn

BrazilHorn 6628

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Posted

Went to dinner at Eddie V's in Arboretum with another couple last night. Restaurant did nice job of spacing tables out, no ones was close to us at all. Restaurant was at the 25% capacity. You had to book via reservation (my buddy made the reservation). Bar service is closed, meaning you can't come in prior to your reservation and sit at the bar.

Food was good, all the staff had masks, and I you are willing to eat out during this I'd recommend it (I am not normally a steakhouse guy).

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vtaenz

vtaenz 602

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Posted
Went to dinner at Eddie V's in Arboretum with another couple last night. Restaurant did nice job of spacing tables out, no ones was close to us at all. Restaurant was at the 25% capacity. You had to book via reservation (my buddy made the reservation). Bar service is closed, meaning you can't come in prior to your reservation and sit at the bar.
Food was good, all the staff had masks, and I you are willing to eat out during this I'd recommend it (I am not normally a steakhouse guy).
Isn't Eddie V's a seafood place?
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Brisketexan

Brisketexan 105213

Posted
Posted
23 minutes ago, vtaenz said:
32 minutes ago, BrazilHorn said:
Went to dinner at Eddie V's in Arboretum with another couple last night. Restaurant did nice job of spacing tables out, no ones was close to us at all. Restaurant was at the 25% capacity. You had to book via reservation (my buddy made the reservation). Bar service is closed, meaning you can't come in prior to your reservation and sit at the bar.
Food was good, all the staff had masks, and I you are willing to eat out during this I'd recommend it (I am not normally a steakhouse guy).

Isn't Eddie V's a seafood place?

It is...but maybe a not-so-secret thing is that they do a fantastic job on steaks.  

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utee94

utee94 15843

Posted
Posted
26 minutes ago, vtaenz said:
35 minutes ago, BrazilHorn said:
Went to dinner at Eddie V's in Arboretum with another couple last night. Restaurant did nice job of spacing tables out, no ones was close to us at all. Restaurant was at the 25% capacity. You had to book via reservation (my buddy made the reservation). Bar service is closed, meaning you can't come in prior to your reservation and sit at the bar.
Food was good, all the staff had masks, and I you are willing to eat out during this I'd recommend it (I am not normally a steakhouse guy).

Isn't Eddie V's a seafood place?

Sure but their steaks are good, too.  Really more of a "fine dining" type of place that specializes in seafood.

I just looked up their website and they have locations all over the country now.  I had no idea they were that widespread.

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 46058

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, troph said:


If there is a real business here I’d like to know more about it. Not joking.

I wouldn't begin to know how to start up, unless it was specializing in a very specific line.  The inventory these guys have to deal with is massive.

I distinctly recall the GE Rents guy telling me that if we were going to be using a particular oscilloscope for more than a few months we should just buy it and resell it later if we no longer needed it.  Of course, if we bought it he'd probably try to upsell a service plan, training, etc. but the point was still pretty clear.

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BrazilHorn

BrazilHorn 6628

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, vtaenz said:
2 hours ago, BrazilHorn said:
Went to dinner at Eddie V's in Arboretum with another couple last night. Restaurant did nice job of spacing tables out, no ones was close to us at all. Restaurant was at the 25% capacity. You had to book via reservation (my buddy made the reservation). Bar service is closed, meaning you can't come in prior to your reservation and sit at the bar.
Food was good, all the staff had masks, and I you are willing to eat out during this I'd recommend it (I am not normally a steakhouse guy).

Read more  

Isn't Eddie V's a seafood place?

They did have seafood (oysters were good), I should clarify and say I much prefer a casual/patio type setting vs the club chair feel.  I hadn’t been to the Arboretum area in years. (Live central) but say one thing about quarantine Austin, traffic is a shit ton better. 

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Somnio

Somnio 751

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, XYZ said:

I’ve been supporting Valentina’s and Leroy & Lewis. If the good BBQ places go under...

I need to hit up Valentina's soon.  I used to live off Frate Barker, and ate there at least once a week.  I'm not all that close now, so it's been a while.

Edited by Somnio
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Gourmand

Gourmand 7774

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Posted
On 5/15/2020 at 3:05 PM, Michael Knight said:

The other lucys are doing OK

Lucy’s Fried Chicken on Lake Travis closes permanently

https://www.austin360.com/entertainment/20200514/lucyrsquos-fried-chicken-on-lake-travis-closes-permanently?utm_source=SND&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=austin360

Not Cedar Park. It will be closed within a year I'd bet. The original location on College Ave isn't going anywhere since they own the building and their BOH staff is made up of long-timers so the food is more consistent than the other locations. 

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