What the fuck is wrong with you, Austin?

[Jerry Callo 8704]

11 minutes ago, texasdago said:

The BOTG cancellation really sucks.  Honestly... why not charge a small admission fee?  They could have done that and kept it going or they're full of it... what a joke.  I would roll in early, go jump in Barton Springs and then walk over all cooled down.  It was great.

 Bummer.

I remember going to BOTG when it was at the Arboretum back in the '90s.  

[texasdago 7575]

5 minutes ago, Jerry Callo said:

I remember going to BOTG when it was at the Arboretum back in the '90s. 

I remember when the Arboretum felt like the end of the world.  

Edit: Still does. 

Edit 2: Domain is south Dallas

[gsoda3 3263]

19 hours ago, YGIFS said:

But does anyone genuinely enjoy driving there and eating inside?  

enjoy it? no.  but for me there's a big difference between eating food 2 minutes off the grill vs 10+ minutes off the grill and steaming inside a styrofoam container.  unfortunately (fortunately?) the rest of the family doesn't care so we do order take out a lot more than we used to.

[Mittens 8285]

38 minutes ago, texasdago said:

The BOTG cancellation really sucks.  Honestly... why not charge a small admission fee? 

Because of the infrastructure and cost to make that happen.

[Deej 76830]

C3 should step in and front the cost. It's not like they haven't been making a killing off of Austin for quite some time. They pretty much own Auditorium Shores and Zilker at this point. 

[texasdago 7575]

17 minutes ago, Mittens said:

Because of the infrastructure and cost to make that happen.

Takes money to make money

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

42 minutes ago, Jerry Callo said:

I remember going to BOTG when it was at the Arboretum back in the '90s.  

I thought I was the only one who remembered that.  WC Clark down by the duck pond was awesome.

[PvilleStang 2911]

1 hour ago, landman said:

Did they own the dirt?  Talking with Dave Kerbow a couple of years ago (Catfish Parlor 183 owner) he said there were 3 restaurants in the City that owned the dirt they were on - him, Matt's, and Dirty's.  I'm sure there may have been a few others, but for the most part they have a ground lease.

Dave closed because he's in his 80's and the building needed a huge cash investment to update equipment, etc.  Just didn't have it in him and wanted to enjoy life.  He's at the Georgetown one on Tuesdays helping his son.

Man, it's still such bullshit the CoA / CapMetro wants to level Dirty's for their crappy rail.  If I were Dirty's, I'd find a way to discover oil under the restaurant, and inflate the hell out of the property value and make them pay 10x for eminent domain.

[Orange&White 5528]

1 minute ago, texasdago said:

Takes money to make money

And in this particular discussion, it takes money, to take money, to make money.

[Mittens 8285]

2 minutes ago, texasdago said:

Takes money to make money

It's also a giant pain in the ass to close off the venue.  As someone who uses Zilker several times a week, closing up the park for a 1 night isn't worth the effort.  Nevermind that you aren't going to get 10K+ people to pay to see those bands.  Certainly not at the high price that would come with securing the space.

[Mittens 8285]

47 minutes ago, Jerry Callo said:

I remember going to BOTG when it was at the Arboretum back in the '90s.  

Yup.  I lived directly across 360 from the pond.  Like, the 2nd house from the road.  Good times....

[YGIFS 19452]

13 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

enjoy it? no.  but for me there's a big difference between eating food 2 minutes off the grill vs 10+ minutes off the grill and steaming inside a styrofoam container.  unfortunately (fortunately?) the rest of the family doesn't care so we do order take out a lot more than we used to.

Fair point.  They probably need to develop some better heat(ing) technology for delivery platforms.  But in the interim-the tradeoff to me is do I really want to sit for 25 minutes in a filthy chain booth listening to my children ask repeatedly about when their chicken tenders are going to arrive from the server?  At least at home, I can distract them and the bathroom is such a disgusting option and the wife doesn't need to have a $13 glass of shitty wine to take the edge off.  

I think the modular trailer option is also a good option.  If you want it piping hot, go there and pick it up and have it there at a picnic table or whatever.  Or have one of the dozen delivery services get it for you and bring it hot to your home.  Not a hipster food truck court per say,  but those shipping containers turned into a commercial-grade kitchen.  And they use the same dropped-off ingredients and cooking methods, but you just go grab it yourself on the way home from work or whatever.  And it's cheaper because it just sits in a vacant lot instead of some overpriced shithole box chain where I gotta deal with a hostess wage, a bartender tip, a server tip, and a manager salary, plus the high G&A just to get a $17 plate of pasta that I could get at a walk-up for $9 and tip the guy $1 or the driver $2 and drink for free at home.  I just no longer see the excitement of going out to Johnny Carrino's in person anymore.  There was a time.  Just like there was a time going to browse the shelves at Blockbuster video was a fun Friday night excursion.  Don't get me wrong, there's still a need for a sit-down lunch for business chat, and fine dining, and date night, and tourists and all that.  But I honestly don't know how the pad-site model like Chili's/Friday's/et. al. lasts in the modern real estate market.  Obviously in some smaller towns that have one, it's the only thing to do.  But in larger MSAs and even exurbs, who wants to go through the hassle and expense of a night out at Buffalo Wild Wings or On the Border? 

[landman 559]

9 minutes ago, PvilleStang said:

Man, it's still such bullshit the CoA / CapMetro wants to level Dirty's for their crappy rail.  If I were Dirty's, I'd find a way to discover oil under the restaurant, and inflate the hell out of the property value and make them pay 10x for eminent domain.

I talked to them several times about seeking a historical designation due to the age, etc.  They don't want to as it would significantly limit what they could do improvement wise.  Never would have been able to make the changes/additions they've done to this point if they had the designation.  

[PvilleStang 2911]

Make all the changes, THEN do the Historical designation. 

 

That said, went there for the first time in ages last Saturday, and was disappointed they changed the recipe on their fries.  They used to have my favorites there, but alas, as I was told, the kitchen has changed.

[Skipper 6136]

14 hours ago, Bevo said:

I think a lot of restaurants will continue to fold as most people give up and get a fast food type meal or eat at home. Mid-tier places such as the Pappas chain, or those lost places in NW Austin or Four Corners are in for rough times.

I read an article on the Dallas dining scene recently that basically came to this same conclusion.  That high end (big night out) places and low end (high volume) places are still doing well.  But middle tier restaurants are struggling significantly absent bringing something really unique to the table that drives customers.

[Steamboat1874 4069]

I don't think the Pappa's chain has anything to worry about.

[YGIFS 19452]

3 minutes ago, Steamboat1874 said:

I don't think the Pappa's chain has anything to worry about.

What makes you say that?  Out of professional curiosity... 

[crash_davis 23113]

Just now, YGIFS said:

What makes you say that?  Out of professional curiosity... 

Cause most every Papas restaurant we go to is packed as shit. I loves me some Papadeaux. It's expensive as shit but it's good food.

[texasdago 7575]

31 minutes ago, landman said:

I talked to them several times about seeking a historical designation due to the age, etc.  They don't want to as it would significantly limit what they could do improvement wise.  Never would have been able to make the changes/additions they've done to this point if they had the designation.  

Soooooo... Option one is get designation but be limited in what you can do.  Option two is have the freedom to make changes as they bulldoze your building into a pile of rubble.  Got it. 

42 minutes ago, Mittens said:

It's also a giant pain in the ass to close off the venue.  As someone who uses Zilker several times a week, closing up the park for a 1 night isn't worth the effort.  Nevermind that you aren't going to get 10K+ people to pay to see those bands.  Certainly not at the high price that would come with securing the space.

So get creative and come up with a new plan.  Use a new venue/space.  Creative minds figure things out.  This just seems like a cop out.

[YGIFS 19452]

Just now, crash_davis said:

Cause most every Papas restaurant we go to is packed as shit. I loves me some Papadeaux. It's expensive as shit but it's good food.

They own most of their sites IIRC.  Which also helps immensely.  Plus that side hustle of labeling some grocery-store/online retail sales, no?  I'm not as familiar with them as most Texans admittedly. 

[crash_davis 23113]

Every restaurant, including fast food, is expensive now. Add the 20-25% tip and it's gotten out of hand. Most people have Dry January's. I have a Dry Restaurant, no going out to eat at any restaurant in January. I want to see how much money I'll save. Although last night I had a moment of weakness and wanted to get the fuck out of the house after the thaw, we went to a get a Poke bowl. After tip, it was still over $30

With that said, if a restaurant is serving good food, it will stay in business. Shitty to mediocre food serving places are going to fail. This goes for everywhere but especially so in Austin. Rent is expensive and you better have a ton of traffic.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

1 hour ago, PvilleStang said:

Man, it's still such bullshit the CoA / CapMetro wants to level Dirty's for their crappy rail.  If I were Dirty's, I'd find a way to discover oil under the restaurant, and inflate the hell out of the property value and make them pay 10x for eminent domain.

We should bury @HenryJames there, and declare it a historical site.  Plus there would be lots of oil, he has it in his veins.

Edited January 18 by Judge Roybeanbag

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

1 hour ago, Mittens said:

Yup.  I lived directly across 360 from the pond.  Like, the 2nd house from the road.  Good times....

What street were you on?  We lived off Mountain Ridge/Smooth Oak back at that time.  Man that was a great neighborhood to live in as a college student.

 

We need a "places I've lived in Austin" map thread, that would actually be kinda cool.  

Edited January 18 by Judge Roybeanbag

[safe sex 11735]

1 hour ago, PvilleStang said:

Make all the changes, THEN do the Historical designation. 

 

That said, went there for the first time in ages last Saturday, and was disappointed they changed the recipe on their fries.  They used to have my favorites there, but alas, as I was told, the kitchen has changed.

The fried pickles were ruined by them trying to make them fancier.

[dcar00 14264]

17 hours ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

I’ll put the whole story on the Gun thread some time, but in my LTC class was a reservist who wore mirrored aviators in class, vaped on breaks with one of those box things,  rode a Harley ape hanger to the range in Lockhart from the classroom in south Austin, and wore a custom 10mm Kimber 1911 in a shoulder holster over his white v neck t shirt while projecting “badass” energy. 
He was next to me on the range and his target looked like he was hip shooting a sawed off, scoring a … passing grade of 173/250.

was it this guy

[Guest]

Our house has cut way down on eating out. I refuse to drop $50 on a Tuesday night to go eat some mid-tier restaurant. Fast food has also gotten out of hand. Ate Whataburger yesterday for the first time in forever and it was $10 for a #1. It was actually decent, but of course I felt gross afterward. Too much sugar, salt, and fat.

We still hit our usuals where we know how to order to get out without running up a silly bill. Doesn't help that one of our staples -- the ramen bar at Whole Foods -- first did away with the $5 small bowl and is now being closed altogether. 

[PvilleStang 2911]

14 minutes ago, dcar00 said:

was it this guy

Nope, it was:

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

7 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Our house has cut way down on eating out. I refuse to drop $50 on a Tuesday night to go eat some mid-tier restaurant. Fast food has also gotten out of hand. Ate Whataburger yesterday for the first time in forever and it was $10 for a #1. It was actually decent, but of course I felt gross afterward. Too much sugar, salt, and fat.

We still hit our usuals where we know how to order to get out without running up a silly bill. Doesn't help that one of our staples -- the ramen bar at Whole Foods -- first did away with the $5 small bowl and is now being closed altogether. 

We are kind of in the same boat, but as a soon to be retiree/investor,  I kind of wonder what is going to happen to the service industry the next few years?  That’s a huge part of our economy that is becoming increasingly unaffordable.  

[Deej 76830]

1 hour ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

That’s a huge part of our economy that is becoming increasingly unaffordable.  

Eating out, housing, vehicles, etc. 

Shit is broken. 

[Bozo_Casanova 26488]

1 hour ago, dcar00 said:

was it this guy

Pretty much, honestly. 

[YGIFS 19452]

So is Frank the disease or the cure?

[jimmyjazz 45975]

covid taught a lot of people that (a) they could cook (b) it was actually fun and (c) it costs ~ 30% of restaurant fare.

Doesn't look great for restaurants in that world.

[Frank Drebin 5644]

15 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

covid taught a lot of people that (a) they could cook (b) it was actually fun and (c) it costs ~ 30% of restaurant fare.

Doesn't look great for restaurants in that world.

It's easier to cook something good now than it has ever been.  You can find master cooks on youtube and follow.  Or just follow recipes you find online.

I'd never smoked a turkey breast in my life until a year ago.  Watched a Franklin youtube.  Turned out just like his first time to try.  Now I make it all the time.  It is fun.

[gsoda3 3263]

16 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

covid taught a lot of people that (a) they could cook (b) it was actually fun and (c) it costs ~ 30% of restaurant fare.

Doesn't look great for restaurants in that world.

on the other hand covid also taught people that *not everything* can be made or replicated at home.  since reopening those items and experiences have been able to raise prices and not suffer.

[Native Horn 3504]

5 hours ago, Jerry Callo said:

I remember going to BOTG when it was at the Arboretum back in the '90s.  

And then it was also at Central Market North, then Centennial Park on Red River and then finally I think at Zilker.  

[Steamboat1874 4069]

4 hours ago, crash_davis said:

Cause most every Papas restaurant we go to is packed as shit. I loves me some Papadeaux. It's expensive as shit but it's good food.

This right here....

As far as I am concerned Pappadeaux is the best restaurant in this entire Austin area.

And no I have not been to all of those fancy new or semi new Austin restaurants that serve you an ounce of food and the plate looks pretty.

 

 

[fattyflattie 4639]

2 hours ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Our house has cut way down on eating out. I refuse to drop $50 on a Tuesday night to go eat some mid-tier restaurant. Fast food has also gotten out of hand. Ate Whataburger yesterday for the first time in forever and it was $10 for a #1. It was actually decent, but of course I felt gross afterward. Too much sugar, salt, and fat.

We still hit our usuals where we know how to order to get out without running up a silly bill. Doesn't help that one of our staples -- the ramen bar at Whole Foods -- first did away with the $5 small bowl and is now being closed altogether. 

We didn’t do it purposely, but had a month where we ate out a ton due to work/kids schedules, etc.  At the end we were just tired of going out, so made an effort to not go out the next month.  The $$$ saved was staggering.  Every meal is $50 (chick fila) to 125$ random sit down Mexican.    Just crazy how fast it adds up.   We still eat out more than I’d like, but I remember distinctly how crazy the cost had gotten.  

[Mittens 8285]

3 hours ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

What street were you on?  We lived off Mountain Ridge/Smooth Oak back at that time.  Man that was a great neighborhood to live in as a college student.

Howdy Neighbor!  9000 Mountain Ridge

[jimmyjazz 45975]

29 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

on the other hand covid also taught people that *not everything* can be made or replicated at home. 

Well, sure, but the average Joe can grill a nice steak or burgers, or make a good pasta dish, or braise various proteins and side them up with some nice steamed veggies and feel pretty good about the end product.  I still can't match a good Indian or Mexican joint, especially given the effort involved, so we save most of our dining out for those kinds of restaurants.

[Modessit 5603]

Fair point.  They probably need to develop some better heat(ing) technology for delivery platforms. 

.....

Or have one of the dozen delivery services get it for you and bring it hot to your home. 

Newsflash: most restaurants (and food trucks) do nothing to keep your food hot while waiting for a delivery person to show up, and many delivery people don't use insulated bags to keep it hot (or cold) while they drive the 20+ minutes to your house because you weren't paying attention and order from the wrong location instead of the one close to your house.

I don't do it much anymore, but the former food manager in me used to hate showing up at a restaurant and seeing bags of food just sitting on a counter or a rack with no heat lamps or anything. Who knows how long it's been there? I once picked up from Mod Pizza on 360 and the pizza box was just sitting on a counter completely cold. I asked them to remake it and they refused, so I took it and texted the customer about what was going on abs they still bitched at me for the cold pizza even though I put it in an insulated bag as soon as I got it.

And y'all need to quit ordering shakes from Hopdoddy when you live 20+ minutes away. It's not going to still be frozen when it gets there, even in a bag.

[Armybrat 40850]

7 hours ago, landman said:

Did they own the dirt?  Talking with Dave Kerbow a couple of years ago (Catfish Parlor 183 owner) he said there were 3 restaurants in the City that owned the dirt they were on - him, Matt's, and Dirty's.  I'm sure there may have been a few others, but for the most part they have a ground lease.

Dave closed because he's in his 80's and the building needed a huge cash investment to update equipment, etc.  Just didn't have it in him and wanted to enjoy life.  He's at the Georgetown one on Tuesdays helping his son.

Back in the 1970s or early 80s there used to be a little drive up/walk up taco joint sitting on a small triangular lot at the northwest corner of 1st (Caesar Chavez) & Congress. 
We were amazed when the local media reported that the taco joint owner sold his little plot for $750,000.

I thought Harry Akins owned the land where his first Nighthawk restaurant was located at South Congress & Riverside (NW corner)?

[CooterBrown 18014]

14 minutes ago, Modessit said:

Newsflash: most restaurants (and food trucks) do nothing to keep your food hot while waiting for a delivery person to show up, and many delivery people don't use insulated bags to keep it hot (or cold) while they drive the 20+ minutes to your house because you weren't paying attention and order from the wrong location instead of the one close to your house.

 

It's not just restaurants. At the beginning of COVID, I did a grocery order from Whole Foods and the raw chicken was room, or should I say trunk, temperature when it was delivered.  

[ChickenSandwich 9843]

33 minutes ago, Modessit said:

 

 

Newsflash: most restaurants (and food trucks) do nothing to keep your food hot while waiting for a delivery person to show up, and many delivery people don't use insulated bags to keep it hot (or cold) while they drive the 20+ minutes to your house because you weren't paying attention and order from the wrong location instead of the one close to your house.

I don't do it much anymore, but the former food manager in me used to hate showing up at a restaurant and seeing bags of food just sitting on a counter or a rack with no heat lamps or anything. Who knows how long it's been there? I once picked up from Mod Pizza on 360 and the pizza box was just sitting on a counter completely cold. I asked them to remake it and they refused, so I took it and texted the customer about what was going on abs they still bitched at me for the cold pizza even though I put it in an insulated bag as soon as I got it.

And y'all need to quit ordering shakes from Hopdoddy when you live 20+ minutes away. It's not going to still be frozen when it gets there, even in a bag.

 

"my fries were cold and not crispy in my to-go order"

 

get out while you can

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

3 hours ago, Mittens said:

Howdy Neighbor!  9000 Mountain Ridge

Holy shit, I was across the street.  You didn’t happen to be at the block party that one night where there were um, bad things, involving mescaline, mowing the yard at 2am and rolling a dude wrapped in a rug down the sidewalk?  If that was you, apologies.  

[Mittens 8285]

No block parties when I was there, that I recall.  Think I was there like June 96-June 97.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

1 minute ago, Mittens said:

No block parties when I was there, that I recall.  Think I was there like June 96-June 97.

Yeah that was later, I lived there around 1989-90.   Still, was a great neighborhood.  

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

@TexasEd would appreciate this, my daily driver at that time was a ‘66 mustang. Red with a black hard top. The gas gauge was crap and once I  ran out of gas turning onto Mountain Ridge, managed to coast downhill all the way to our house.  

[Steel Shank 9428]

Walked around the big lawn at Zilker this morning with my dog. Around 10am. If you've never done this, do it. Walking on grass at a great park before noon on a weekday is good for the soul.

[crash_davis 23113]

1 hour ago, Steel Shank said:

Walked around the big lawn at Zilker this morning with my dog. Around 10am. If you've never done this, do it. Walking on grass at a great park before noon on a weekday is good for the soul.

You are damn lucky you didn't get macheted.

[Biff Tannen 45691]

I can’t drive in this town anymore. There’s too many god damn people, there’s construction everywhere, people forgot how to drive after Covid and can’t stay in their lanes, and there are wrecks on every major highway at all times of the day.