Thread of local businesses that don't survive the coronavirus

[ChickenSandwich 9843]

Id rather have Conans back on 29th. 
 

Counter has always been average food at a high price. Breakfast sausage is nasty 

*IM(shitty)O

Edited November 5, 2020 by ChickenSandwich

[3adays 454]

2nd Bar + Kitchen closed its Congress location

[Guest Lobo]

^

that's a tough one.  When the most successful restaurant group in Austin can't make a space work financially, that's a dagger to the owners.  Good news is that footprint isn't as big as you'd think it is.  But the price is worse than you think it is.  I think it goes the way of a flagship spot for a co-working space.  

But then again, a fucking Domino's pizza is flourishing at Guadalupe & 5th, so maybe a fucking Applebee's at 2nd & Congress.  

In other strange news, the standalone pad site in my neighborhood that used to be a Mr. Gatti's has been bought and re-zoned by Den Property Group.  Curious as fuck as to what this thing is gonna be.  It's literally between a Shell Gas Station and a place that advertises in their barred windows "We Buy Used Gold" and has a whopping total of 6 parking spaces.  This is an absolute must-see.  

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

^
that's a tough one.  When the most successful restaurant group in Austin can't make a space work financially, that's a dagger to the owners.  Good news is that footprint isn't as big as you'd think it is.  But the price is worse than you think it is.  I think it goes the way of a flagship spot for a co-working space.  
But then again, a fucking Domino's pizza is flourishing at Guadalupe & 5th, so maybe a fucking Applebee's at 2nd & Congress.  
In other strange news, the standalone pad site in my neighborhood that used to be a Mr. Gatti's has been bought and re-zoned by Den Property Group.  Curious as fuck as to what this thing is gonna be.  It's literally between a Shell Gas Station and a place that advertises in their barred windows "We Buy Used Gold" and has a whopping total of 6 parking spaces.  This is an absolute must-see.  

What does den group own?

If we shut down again lots of locals will go under and property owners will beg chains to fill the spaces. We may be heading that way for a few years.

[Wally Pryor 5261]

On the subject, I see where the Uchi guys bought the (former) Trudy's location on the Highway of Death in Dripping. 

[Guest Lobo]

Makes perfect sense for when a group of 600 go out for sushi in separate cars.  

[Updawg 2268]

On the subject, I see where the Uchi guys bought the (former) Trudy's location on the Highway of Death in Dripping. 

That’s good. Any idea what they have planned? That’s a weird building.

[Texas Jeff 1945]

On 10/12/2020 at 7:14 PM, Bozo_Casanova said:

The Alamo at Mueller is fantastic and I used to walk over there 4-6 times a month. The neighborhood is in an uproar about this, and talking about fundraisers. 
The landlords are between a rock and a hard place. They want Alamo to stay, but they are obliged to their lenders to try to collect the rent. It's a bad situation.  

The neighbors could all get together and ... I don't know ... buy some tickets or something.  Maybe some food.  Just a thought.

Some folks today have more money than normal because they aren't spending what they usually spend at the Alamo.  Just pretend-spend a bit and the locals could stay afloat.

[Wally Pryor 5261]

14 hours ago, Updawg said:

That’s good. Any idea what they have planned? That’s a weird building.

They are saying TBD.   Big, big building. 

[Cousin Strawberry 1261]

On 11/5/2020 at 10:44 AM, ChickenSandwich said:

Id rather have Conans back on 29th. 
 

Counter has always been average food at a high price. Breakfast sausage is nasty 

*IM(shitty)O

Yep. It was never great. I was always confused by the love for the burgers.

[Guest Lobo]

47 minutes ago, Wally Pryor said:

They are saying TBD.   Big, big building. 

So the building turns into a robot?  

[Updawg 2268]

They are saying TBD.   Big, big building. 

I always thought it was a church or something converted into a trudys. But apparently the trudys guy lives right near it and built it that way on purpose

[Biff Tannen 45691]

7 hours ago, Lobo said:

So the building turns into a robot?  

I don't get it.

[Guest Lobo]

What exactly don't you get?  

It turns from a building into a sushi parking lot?  What's fun about that?  

[Samson's Wig 3192]

On 11/18/2020 at 10:21 AM, Updawg said:

I always thought it was a church or something converted into a trudys. But apparently the trudys guy lives right near it and built it that way on purpose

Weird.

[BabaYaga 15301]

21 hours ago, Lobo said:

What exactly don't you get?  

It turns from a building into a sushi parking lot?  What's fun about that?  

 

[Michael Knight 12988]

 

Flix closing

https://austin.culturemap.com/news/entertainment/11-17-20-dine-in-movie-theater-chain-shuts-down-austin-location-indefinitely-due-to-covid-19/

[Guest Lobo]

Honestly quite surprised they hung on this long.  

Drove thru Hancock Center for old time's sake on the way to campus this morning.  HEB, Twin, and a couple others going strong.  Old Sears Automotive being turned into a Firestone (no matter what Covid-19 did, people need car repairs, maybe more than ever since folks likely holding onto vehicles longer).  But the rest of that thing, not just the old flagship Sears, is just dying.  Not only empty storefronts, but defaulted businesses with shit still inside, the whole property just looks unkempt, then you gotta APD watching the testing center over in the NE pad site area.  It was never the Arboretum or Domain, but the whole space really looks fucking rough.  Even the usual parade of hot co-eds was non-existent, presumably because of the holiday week/decreased in-person attendance at UT.  All that said, the Commodore Perry across the street really turned out nice...look forward to checking it out more once pandemic is over.  

[Wiler77 1566]

On 11/18/2020 at 10:21 AM, Updawg said:

I always thought it was a church or something converted into a trudys. But apparently the trudys guy lives right near it and built it that way on purpose

Always confused me that they built half the restaurant to look and smell like a nursing home cafeteria with absolutely no character at all, and the "outside" half of the restaurant with all the nice lighting would never have the doors open, even on nice days.

I used to love me some Trudy's, but not enough to overcome the horrible ambiance of that place.  And the times I went, it was really inconsistent.  I've heard it's hard to get any sort of kitchen talent out in the boonies.  Hopefully whatever the concept is that the Uchi guys have will be good enough to overcome that.

[Biff Tannen 45691]

On 11/24/2020 at 1:56 PM, Lobo said:

Honestly quite surprised they hung on this long.  

Drove thru Hancock Center for old time's sake on the way to campus this morning.  HEB, Twin, and a couple others going strong.  Old Sears Automotive being turned into a Firestone (no matter what Covid-19 did, people need car repairs, maybe more than ever since folks likely holding onto vehicles longer).  But the rest of that thing, not just the old flagship Sears, is just dying.  Not only empty storefronts, but defaulted businesses with shit still inside, the whole property just looks unkempt, then you gotta APD watching the testing center over in the NE pad site area.  It was never the Arboretum or Domain, but the whole space really looks fucking rough.  Even the usual parade of hot co-eds was non-existent, presumably because of the holiday week/decreased in-person attendance at UT.  All that said, the Commodore Perry across the street really turned out nice...look forward to checking it out more once pandemic is over.  

This is my grocery store and maybe you just came at an odd time cause that whole place (aside from Sears) is usually hoppin. Including the coeds. 

[Hook1997 5382]

Mamacita’s in San Marcos is closing down.

[hornian 5219]

23 hours ago, Hook1997 said:

Mamacita’s in San Marcos is closing down.

Not Mamacita's, a place I never ate at and didn't even realized had made it out of San Antonio! NO!

[LebongJames 1811]

On 11/28/2020 at 1:58 PM, Hook1997 said:

Mamacita’s in San Marcos is closing down.

Chuy’s moving in to town had to kill them.

[3adays 454]

Hopefully their Kerrville  and Fredericksburg locations survive. 

[Larry T. Spider 1746]

On 11/28/2020 at 1:58 PM, Hook1997 said:

Mamacita’s in San Marcos is closing down.

As long as it’s not herberts, we’re all good.

[Steel Shank 9428]

Looks like Dirty's is opening back up this Thursday! Happy news!

[Guest Lobo]

That’s awesome.  I noticed a big work crew there the other day and worried they were getting set to strip out the inside.  Definitely hitting it up next week for lunch.  

[Native Horn 3504]

Hops & Grain brewing announced they are closing their tap room.  They will now focus on distribution.  That's one of the first tap rooms I visited in Austin, so kinda sad.  It's good though that we'll still be able to buy their beer.

[ChickenSandwich 9843]

On 12/1/2020 at 10:55 AM, Steel Shank said:

Looks like Dirty's is opening back up this Thursday! Happy news!

Had it today. They were busy. Hope it goes well. Slightly downsized menu. 

[Axle Hongsnort 208]

Had it today. They were busy. Hope it goes well. Slightly downsized menu. 

Same. Waited 30 minutes for a cold burger, hope they dial it in.

[BradInATX 9208]

On 12/3/2020 at 6:48 PM, Native Horn said:

Hops & Grain brewing announced they are closing their tap room.  They will now focus on distribution.  That's one of the first tap rooms I visited in Austin, so kinda sad.  It's good though that we'll still be able to buy their beer.

Seems like it'd be pretty easy for them to open it back up after the pandemic should they choose, no? A lot of the breweries have their tap rooms down right now and are just doing curbside. 

[4th&Five 41558]

They kind of fucked themselves before the pandemic.  The whole San Marcos thing seemed like a disaster. 

[Guest Lobo]

On 11/25/2020 at 10:35 PM, Biff Tannen said:

This is my grocery store and maybe you just came at an odd time cause that whole place (aside from Sears) is usually hoppin. Including the coeds. 

went there on Monday.  Had to grab a few snacks and packaged lunch since I was gonna be on campus all day.  Should have been maybe a 5 minute trip inside.  However, apparently an impromptu yoga pant competition had been declared.  I probably spent 25 minutes, and walked nearly a mile roaming around the store checking out the contestants.  Holy shit.  Rivals my HEB for sure.  Hope I didn't get Covid-19 doing that.  

[4th&Five 41558]

Fabi + Rosi, the intimate West Austin European restaurant with a heavy German focus, is closing. The restaurant will remain open through next week, according to its social media accounts, which means its last day of service in Tarrytown on 509 Hearn Street will be on Saturday, December 19, with takeout and curbside services.

[Biff Tannen 45691]

4 hours ago, 4th&Five said:

Fabi + Rosi, the intimate West Austin European restaurant with a heavy German focus, is closing. The restaurant will remain open through next week, according to its social media accounts, which means its last day of service in Tarrytown on 509 Hearn Street will be on Saturday, December 19, with takeout and curbside services.

Damn, that place was good.

[utee94 15831]

That sucks, that was one of the most consistently good, yet affordable, European-cuisine restaurants in the entire city.

 

[Michael Knight 12988]

 

Lost Austin: Iconic restaurants, venues and more that didn’t make it out of 2020

 

https://www.austin360.com/in-depth/news/2020/12/30/austin-businesses-restaurants-closed-coronavirus-2020/6540061002/?fbclid=IwAR3RxI2HAElHQmQ8D8Wd3K_i0rvPPlA-svPxlpfUL4DYHG-HkUtv_laVu_o

[Grade of D as in David 13253]

The only bit of solace in this shitty year is that Y Mas came back.

Edited December 31, 2020 by Grade of D as in David

[staboner 4984]

FYI Ginny passed away (of the Little Longhorn) for those of you not on spacebook

I believe the bar is holding on via a gofundme for now

[Anastasis 23475]

8 hours ago, Michael Knight said:

 

Lost Austin: Iconic restaurants, venues and more that didn’t make it out of 2020

 

https://www.austin360.com/in-depth/news/2020/12/30/austin-businesses-restaurants-closed-coronavirus-2020/6540061002/?fbclid=IwAR3RxI2HAElHQmQ8D8Wd3K_i0rvPPlA-svPxlpfUL4DYHG-HkUtv_laVu_o

 

Mother's Cafe really hurts more than it should. 

[Guest Lobo]

Not a local business, but the Subway in my neighborhood finally closed down.  You can imagine how distraught I was.  

However, good news is with a generous TI package, there's a Fratelli's pizza going in there.  Not quite local, but Texas-based with a solid Austin presence.  I've had their food before at the 15th street location.  Solid offerings.  And the Poke House near there is also ahead of schedule and due to open up in a matter of weeks.  

But yeah, an already shitty area for restaurants has been especially brutal the last few months.  

[capnamerca 571]

On 12/31/2020 at 10:43 AM, Michael Knight said:

 

Lost Austin: Iconic restaurants, venues and more that didn’t make it out of 2020

 

https://www.austin360.com/in-depth/news/2020/12/30/austin-businesses-restaurants-closed-coronavirus-2020/6540061002/?fbclid=IwAR3RxI2HAElHQmQ8D8Wd3K_i0rvPPlA-svPxlpfUL4DYHG-HkUtv_laVu_o

The pic of Magnolia hit me in the gut. My all-nighter location of choice in college. 

[LebongJames 1811]

21 hours ago, Lobo said:

Not a local business, but the Subway in my neighborhood finally closed down.  You can imagine how distraught I was.  

However, good news is with a generous TI package, there's a Fratelli's pizza going in there.  Not quite local, but Texas-based with a solid Austin presence.  I've had their food before at the 15th street location.  Solid offerings.  And the Poke House near there is also ahead of schedule and due to open up in a matter of weeks.  

But yeah, an already shitty area for restaurants has been especially brutal the last few months.  

Neighbor? The Fratellis looks like it is going on pretty much next door to Austin’s Pizza?

[royiv 9324]

15 hours ago, capnamerca said:

The pic of Magnolia hit me in the gut. My all-nighter location of choice in college. 

Definitely the cleanest I've ever seen it.

[Guest Lobo]

42 minutes ago, LebongJames said:

Neighbor? The Fratellis looks like it is going on pretty much next door to Austin’s Pizza?

Yeah, not quite next door but pretty damn close.  I assume they'll be almost exclusively takeout/delivery...even after Covid.  There's a tiny footprint for a handful of tables, but Austin's Pizza's schtick is also the kid-friendly/dine-outside areas.  Plus different pricing/ingredients.  But who knows anything about anything?  I guess it really is gonna be a What-a-Burger at that old tacobell site.  

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

Yeah, not quite next door but pretty damn close.  I assume they'll be almost exclusively takeout/delivery...even after Covid.  There's a tiny footprint for a handful of tables, but Austin's Pizza's schtick is also the kid-friendly/dine-outside areas.  Plus different pricing/ingredients.  But who knows anything about anything?  I guess it really is gonna be a What-a-Burger at that old tacobell site.  

Fratellis pizza laps that shitty Austin’s pizza. Those fuckers screw up my god damn order every single fucking time. It’s gotten to the point that I have to go in there for carry out to check everything for accuracy.

Now. If we can just replace Stein mart with a beer hall....

[LebongJames 1811]

12 hours ago, Gardner Barnes said:

Fratellis pizza laps that shitty Austin’s pizza. Those fuckers screw up my god damn order every single fucking time. It’s gotten to the point that I have to go in there for carry out to check everything for accuracy.

Now. If we can just replace Stein mart with a beer hall....
 

That would be incredible. Also the old Jos A Banks is a large space that could be a good spot for something like that.

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

That would be incredible. Also the old Jos A Banks is a large space that could be a good spot for something like that.

Indeed. Give me any reason to not go near central Austin -literally ANY reason.

[Guest Lobo]

1 hour ago, LebongJames said:

That would be incredible. Also the old Jos A Banks is a large space that could be a good spot for something like that.

I think it was Blacklab Bob on here that hinted there was a plan to turn that spot into a bar.  But it's back on the market with a lower TI package.  As is the former Biderman's down the block.  There is a tasting room for a boutique hill country winery going in near Breed & Co.  That's about as best as we'll do in 2021.  Stein Mart either holds empty for a few years waiting for a grocer (waiting to hear from our other thread rep to chime in on this), or goes to EISD as an athletics property.  Nobody else can pay that nut.  

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

I’d be down with an Aldi wanting to move into Austin in that location. With the wrestling facility opening up I don’t see EISD needing to take over that lease.