Bee Caves, Lakeway, Hudson Bend Eats

[ftf82 485]

anyone know what's going into the old Steinmart at Walsh Tarlton and Bee Cave?

[YGIFS 19450]

For the tenth time Karen! 

One side is gonna be a Strait Music.  The other side will be a Saint Bernard 

[blacklab 11929]

@YGIFS

whats going into the old Taco Bell at bee cave/Walsh tarlton? 

[YGIFS 19450]

A China What-a-Burger.

[ftf82 485]

SIgnage is up for the new Whataburger Digital Kitchen at Bee Cave and Walsh Tarlton. Apparently the first of its kind. The traffic clusterfuck ingressing/egressing onto Walsh Tarlton from there is going to be epic.

 

 

[YGIFS 19450]

That's what the delay was all about.  They changed concepts midstream and had to do all kinds of re-permitting and lease negotiations.  Also the parking reconfiguration since you don't really need the same number of spaces with no dining room.  So it's the wave of the future.  Spaces for delivery service drivers to park and pickup orders, a typical drive-thru, and then a sorta kiosk if you wanna order ahead yourself and just run in and grab it as many places are doing now.  They are literally, as of yesterday, still trying to figure out how to configure that corner lot and two ingress/egress points because the idea is to now move as many cars through as possible because nobody will be staying for more than 5-10 minutes given no dine-in service.  Plus, you always have a lot of large work crew trucks/trailers in that area.  They want to try and launch the product before the end of the school year to see how the traffic flow will work but there's only 7 days left in the school year nearby.  Then they'll spend the summer sorting out logistics.  The other conundrum is nobody gives a shit about eating inside a fast food place anymore, just the cheap food fix.  But lotta work crews hit up that Raising Cane's and Tacobell and McD's to catch some A/C and use the bathroom.  Those trucks take up lotsa room and the flow of those with a dozen delivery service vehicles has been a headache for them already and they're not even open yet.  BD at the property management/leasing team has been gaming this for over a year and it'll probably take another year to actually implement and alter.  

But this is what's coming.  I crave a whopper or chicken mcnuggets every now and again but have no interest in driving to a What-a-Burger and waiting inside, or even in the drive-thru.  I don't give a shit if you're on prime real estate at $30/foot.  Make it in a trailer at $10/foot and pass the savings onto the delivery guy so I don't have to tip.  Makes no difference to me, I just want my food at the office or home on Saturday after chorin'.  This is gonna really well and be a great concept going forward, but it's gonna suck ass for everybody involved (especially commuters in the area) for the next year.

[4th&Five 41554]

2 hours ago, YGIFS said:

That's what the delay was all about.  They changed concepts midstream and had to do all kinds of re-permitting and lease negotiations.  Also the parking reconfiguration since you don't really need the same number of spaces with no dining room.  So it's the wave of the future.  Spaces for delivery service drivers to park and pickup orders, a typical drive-thru, and then a sorta kiosk if you wanna order ahead yourself and just run in and grab it as many places are doing now.  They are literally, as of yesterday, still trying to figure out how to configure that corner lot and two ingress/egress points because the idea is to now move as many cars through as possible because nobody will be staying for more than 5-10 minutes given no dine-in service.  Plus, you always have a lot of large work crew trucks/trailers in that area.  They want to try and launch the product before the end of the school year to see how the traffic flow will work but there's only 7 days left in the school year nearby.  Then they'll spend the summer sorting out logistics.  The other conundrum is nobody gives a shit about eating inside a fast food place anymore, just the cheap food fix.  But lotta work crews hit up that Raising Cane's and Tacobell and McD's to catch some A/C and use the bathroom.  Those trucks take up lotsa room and the flow of those with a dozen delivery service vehicles has been a headache for them already and they're not even open yet.  BD at the property management/leasing team has been gaming this for over a year and it'll probably take another year to actually implement and alter.  

But this is what's coming.  I crave a whopper or chicken mcnuggets every now and again but have no interest in driving to a What-a-Burger and waiting inside, or even in the drive-thru.  I don't give a shit if you're on prime real estate at $30/foot.  Make it in a trailer at $10/foot and pass the savings onto the delivery guy so I don't have to tip.  Makes no difference to me, I just want my food at the office or home on Saturday after chorin'.  This is gonna really well and be a great concept going forward, but it's gonna suck ass for everybody involved (especially commuters in the area) for the next year.

Because Whataburger drive throughs are known to be so quick? I don't eat a lot of fast food but I usually go inside so I can check my order since at least half the time they fuck it up.

[YGIFS 19450]

Well they tried to do two drive-thru lanes but the variance just wasn't in the physical realm of possibility.  I'm hearing the idea is to have slots where runners can take out orders to both delivery service drivers and private patrons alike.  And also, have a quick way to pull in, jump out, grab your kiosk pre-paid deal, and be on your way.  But yeah, the actual proper drive-thru is gonna be S.O.P.  Which means for What-a-Burger the line starts at 360 and goes all the way down Walsh-Tarlton unfortunately.  Again, this is a literal beta test for the franchise and real estate folks.  So it's gonna be a shitshow for awhile.  I'm sure the crew cab, long bed pickups with 30' trailers having a lunch break and a dump will make things infinitely easier.  But those guys gotta eat, so more power to 'em.  I think you'll see, within just weeks, people parking over by modern market 'n shit and just walking over to grab their order.  Thank god Chase Bank put a half million into the renovation at the other corner since I've seen a grand total of zero people walking in/out since the project was delivered.  

[Anastasis 23470]

I use the whataburger app basically 100% of the time now to avoid the drive through. Makes a lot of sense to build some units based around a digital model.

[NoName 16352]

19 hours ago, Anastasis said:

I use the whataburger app basically 100% of the time now to avoid the drive through. Makes a lot of sense to build some units based around a digital model.

at my local Whataburger, curbside is faster than the drive through 100% of the time if the line is longer than the order menu area. it's kind of amazing.

[blacklab 11929]

Fuck. I don't want to eat in my car, especially when I have an hour to kill waiting for my wife or kiddo to do something.

[ftf82 485]

45 minutes ago, blacklab said:

Fuck. I don't want to eat in my car, especially when I have an hour to kill waiting for my wife or kiddo to do something.

Just take your double double with jalapenos across the street to Flower Child and eat it there.

[dcbc 14484]

On 5/18/2023 at 11:01 AM, 4th&Five said:

Because Whataburger drive throughs are known to be so quick? I don't eat a lot of fast food but I usually go inside so I can check my order since at least half the time they fuck it up.

You should break up with that Whataburger.  It's usually not too much further to find a good one.  Not that good ones are a widely available commodity.  But I can think of three within 10 to fifteen minutes of me that are better than the one five minutes from me because the one close to me did me dirty once too often. 

 

It's not your fault.

 

It's not your fault.

[YGIFS 19450]

12 hours ago, ftf82 said:

Just take your double double with jalapenos across the street to Flower Child and eat it there.

Unfortunately, they got rid of that communal picnic area.  All those tables are reserved just for Flower Child patrons now.  You can be really creepy and eat it in front of that children's dance studio across the street.  When people ask you "which one is your kid?"  You can just eerily point to your double whataburger.  

Those two red brick office buildings just a few hundred yards away on south side of Bee Caves Road have some shaded picnic tables outside. 

I know some other dads who have the same issue, kill time while kid is at practice or training or tutor in that area.  So next to those two red brick buildings across a little residential street is that Arise hospital and another speciality medical building that's hidden from the road.  Anyway, behind those two is a good sized pavilion with lots of seating and a full size basketball court.  Every now and again, somebody will text me and I'll walk over with a ball and we shoot around for half hour.  From now on, I'm only bringing the ball if they bring me a burger and fries.  At least a shake.  But start packing yourself some extra napkins and a bball in your trunk.  It beats taping on the aquarium glass at Petco and getting banned from the store, that and I wasn't wearing pants.  /csb   

[jimmyjazz 45957]

What kind of red-blooded American dad doesn't spend soccer practice drinking beer out of an insulated "Yeti" (aka HEB "Kodi") cup in the parking lot?  C'mon, man.

[ftf82 485]

1 hour ago, YGIFS said:

Unfortunately, they got rid of that communal picnic area.  All those tables are reserved just for Flower Child patrons now.  You can be really creepy and eat it in front of that children's dance studio across the street.  When people ask you "which one is your kid?"  You can just eerily point to your double whataburger.  

Those two red brick office buildings just a few hundred yards away on south side of Bee Caves Road have some shaded picnic tables outside. 

I know some other dads who have the same issue, kill time while kid is at practice or training or tutor in that area.  So next to those two red brick buildings across a little residential street is that Arise hospital and another speciality medical building that's hidden from the road.  Anyway, behind those two is a good sized pavilion with lots of seating and a full size basketball court.  Every now and again, somebody will text me and I'll walk over with a ball and we shoot around for half hour.  From now on, I'm only bringing the ball if they bring me a burger and fries.  At least a shake.  But start packing yourself some extra napkins and a bball in your trunk.  It beats taping on the aquarium glass at Petco and getting banned from the store, that and I wasn't wearing pants.  /csb   

Yeah I was just making a joke about sitting in Flower Child with no shame eating a double, double while WL housewives dine on salads, quinoa and cauliflower rissoto. If you're looking for a place to eat outside just drive down to Rollingwood Park or the far west side of Zilker across from the clubhouse entrance. 

[YGIFS 19450]

Yeah that place slams with milfs in yoga pants.  Took away all the ass traffic from modern market and cava.  I used to eat lunch when it was a public patio and the ass parade going in/out from orange theory.  And that Starbucks apparently doubles as a lulu lemon factory store.  

the westlake ‘soho house’, his working title, not mine….should be delivered soon after covid delays.  Where old standalone gatti’s used to be.

I wonder what’ll be done at that nearly abandoned UFCU big branch down by HEB.   Didn’t that spot used to be a restaurant about 15 years ago?  Could be again.

polvos at Barton creek square just opened and I’ve yet to see anyone eat there.  They can’t get anybody to eat inside any of the mall restaurants but thought maybe people would stroll on over a half mile of burning asphalt?  I wouldn’t put anything in/near Barton creek square if I was in retail or hospitality   That circus was cool though   

 

[ftf82 485]

29 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

Yeah that place slams with milfs in yoga pants.  Took away all the ass traffic from modern market and cava.  I used to eat lunch when it was a public patio and the ass parade going in/out from orange theory.  And that Starbucks apparently doubles as a lulu lemon factory store.  

the westlake ‘soho house’, his working title, not mine….should be delivered soon after covid delays.  Where old standalone gatti’s used to be.

I wonder what’ll be done at that nearly abandoned UFCU big branch down by HEB.   Didn’t that spot used to be a restaurant about 15 years ago?  Could be again.

polvos at Barton creek square just opened and I’ve yet to see anyone eat there.  They can’t get anybody to eat inside any of the mall restaurants but thought maybe people would stroll on over a half mile of burning asphalt?  I wouldn’t put anything in/near Barton creek square if I was in retail or hospitality   That circus was cool though   

 

When the HEB center first opened (may have still been an Albertsons) the UFCU was a New Mexican style restaurant that was really good. Same problem that other restaurants in that area have though (e.g., Biedermans, whatever the place was before the take out Cava) in that the parking sucks and the location is hidden way in the back. We tried the new Lee's the other day and it was really good, but pretty pricey for what it is. And I didn't realize the Polvos Barton Creek was open. Their webpage still shows it as Coming Soon. We'll go there (my wife loves their shrimp veracruz). But we used to go there when it was the movie theater that was sliding down the hill into the Mopac r-o-w. 

[YGIFS 19450]

It may have just been an extended series of soft opening at polvos then and they’re retooling a bit.  Just a bad spot in a dying mall parking lot.  
 

I think Bidermans would have made it but for Covid.  They were humming along before quarantine.  And they have a taste for expensive tastes in real estate for a place that doesn’t offer things called dinner or alcohol.  
 

what was that SW cuisine place called at UFCu?  The location isn’t great but you get free advertising to all the people waiting in the P terrys drive-thru.  
 

there is also going to be significant attrition in the Westwoods market across the street from whataburger soon.  As well as the strip center just past the Grove.  This should mean at least two new dining options on bee caves, if not more.  Stay tuned.  

[Mittens 8284]

Blue _____ Cafe?  I had completely forgotten about it until just now.  Think I had an ex who worked there for a minute.

That HEB used to be an Albertsons?  Could have sworn it was a Kroger, but that was 20+yrs ago and I don't trust many memories that old.

 

[ftf82 485]

Canyon Cafe. My wife remembered it. It was really good. And yeah the HEB was originally an Albertsons. HEB took it over when all the Albertsons blew out in the late 90s/early aughts. I don't think there's ever been a Kroger in Austin.

[YGIFS 19450]

Canyon Cafe.  When the scouts used to sell those coupon books, took the future wife there.  Loved it but by the time I could afford to back, it was gone.  

was so happy when that switched to An HEB, speaking of hot ass.  But that place is such a fucking zoo now, I rarely go.  

speaking of HEB, is the one in Bee Cave proper starting renovations/expansions yet?  It was way ahead of its time out there but is in need of some re-do.  
 

 

[utee94 15823]

On 5/22/2023 at 11:45 AM, ftf82 said:

Canyon Cafe. My wife remembered it. It was really good. And yeah the HEB was originally an Albertsons. HEB took it over when all the Albertsons blew out in the late 90s/early aughts. I don't think there's ever been a Kroger in Austin.

I know of one-- the strip center site on Burnet Road between Steck and Anderson that was a Showbiz Pizza/Chuck E Cheese, and had Ross Dress for Less, and is now a Subaru dealership, was a Kroger before all of that.  

[YGIFS 19450]

Yes, that was bugging the shit outta me.  I knew I could see one in my head because when I worked in the Arboretum and was heading home, I swear I stopped in one once on the way South.  This was before I got involved in the Aldi/Albertsons grocery store shit.  But I remember telling some folks about that Kroger.  Sweet, I'm only going partially insane.  

NSIAP-Fajita Pete's is coming to Bee Caves Road (near Texas Honey Ham).  But their pending address lists multiple suites, which makes sense.  But that strip center is completely occupied save for narrow unit that couldn't possibly house a mexican restaurant.  I gotta walk that property on Thursday anyway, will check it out.  I had 'em once in Houston and they aren't bad actually for the price.  

[Gladeite 375]

I like Poke House in Westlake, next to Twin Liquor and Walgreens.  Very good bowls and reasonable price.  Quick in and out for lunch.

[Mittens 8284]

They're pushing the reasonable price w/ 2 increases in the last year, but they still get my money every week. That's my lunch crack.

[YGIFS 19450]

I can't believe I still havent' checked that place out.  What are the recs from y'all?  

[Mittens 8284]

I mean....it's like Subway or Cava or Chipotle, but for Poke.  You just walk down the line and point out what you like and they put it in the bowl.

[jimmyjazz 45957]

3 hours ago, YGIFS said:

NSIAP-Fajita Pete's is coming to Bee Caves Road (near Texas Honey Ham).

They appear to still be open near 2222/MoPac, which is surprising, because they selected the Death Knell of retail locations.  I've never tried it, I'm not paying well over $40 for chain fajitas for two.

[blacklab 11929]

On 5/21/2023 at 7:30 PM, blacklab said:

Fuck. I don't want to eat in my car, especially when I have an hour to kill waiting for my wife or kiddo to do something.

And wouldn’t you know it, two days after this post I find myself in this area with an hour to kill. Band concert at WHS at 7:30, kid has to be there at 6:30. 

[ftf82 485]

Two frozen margaritas with floaters at Lupe are your answer

[blacklab 11929]

Christ almighty I could have used about 20 of those. Junior high has 5 bands. Last concert they each had a 30 minute slot, you came, watched your kid and left. Not tonight, each band played for 20-30 minutes and we had to stay till the end since all the bands played one song together at the end. Thank god this is his last year of band. 

[DalTxHornFan 3101]

9 minutes ago, blacklab said:

Christ almighty I could have used about 20 of those. Junior high has 5 bands. Last concert they each had a 30 minute slot, you came, watched your kid and left. Not tonight, each band played for 20-30 minutes and we had to stay till the end since all the bands played one song together at the end. Thank god this is his last year of band. 

I was a band guy back in the day. I never told my parents about concerts.  They only heard about the concerts from the other parents after the fact.

Parents were pissed. Life goes on.

[ftf82 485]

On 5/18/2023 at 11:10 AM, YGIFS said:

Well they tried to do two drive-thru lanes but the variance just wasn't in the physical realm of possibility.  I'm hearing the idea is to have slots where runners can take out orders to both delivery service drivers and private patrons alike.  And also, have a quick way to pull in, jump out, grab your kiosk pre-paid deal, and be on your way.  But yeah, the actual proper drive-thru is gonna be S.O.P.  Which means for What-a-Burger the line starts at 360 and goes all the way down Walsh-Tarlton unfortunately.  Again, this is a literal beta test for the franchise and real estate folks.  So it's gonna be a shitshow for awhile.  I'm sure the crew cab, long bed pickups with 30' trailers having a lunch break and a dump will make things infinitely easier.  But those guys gotta eat, so more power to 'em.  I think you'll see, within just weeks, people parking over by modern market 'n shit and just walking over to grab their order.  Thank god Chase Bank put a half million into the renovation at the other corner since I've seen a grand total of zero people walking in/out since the project was delivered.  

Even though the WB isn't open yet, the cluster fucking has begun. The stacking for Cane's is now wrapped around the inline Jack Brown Cleaners/Thunderclouds space all the way down to Summermoon. Meaning cars that are parked at Thundercloud are blocked in. Good thing there's plenty of space in front of the new St. Bernards. Morons are also trying to turn left (to go south on Walsh Tarlton) out of the center from in front of the Jack Browns. 

[YGIFS 19450]

Yeah, I've noticed what a shitshow it's already become and the thing isn't even open yet.  The owner/manager of Westwoods said they gamed out every single option they could with the city to come to a more amicable setup.  they're gonna try the current layout in the lot for awhile and then they have one other viable alternative.  Trouble is, it's summertime.  They really won't know what's what until late August when that parking lot becomes a literal parking lot for HCMS between 2:30-7:30p (for sports).  But hey, that's half the point.  Send some door dash person over there instead and have them deal with it.  Then again, as much as I love What-a-Burger, it's a combo best served fresh.  Doesn't travel well sitting shotgun in September for 45 minutes to get to my house 5 minutes away.  

Fajita Pete's is supposed to go live close to there in August at this rate.  

[ftf82 485]

Spoiler

When a sleek sign advertising a "digital kitchen" recently appeared on a Whataburger LLC restaurant under construction off Bee Cave Road, social media was abuzz with questions about the new fast-food burger joint.

It will look much like a regular Whataburger but will be centered around to-go dining, with a "digital pick-up lane" instead of a traditional drive-thru.

"We’re excited to introduce Whataburger’s first digital kitchen in Austin's Bee Cave to allow for newer, faster and more convenient ways to serve our guests while providing an elevated digital experience," Alexander Ivannikov, Whataburger executive vice president and chief administrative officer, said in an email.

A June 18 visit to the store at 3201 Bee Cave Road found plenty of parking outside. There were two kiosks out front, with signs instructing customers to use them to order food, or the Whataburger app, then pick up their meal in a "food locker."

The store is strictly for pick-ups with no dining room. It takes elements of a ghost kitchen along with pieces of the take-out model found at places such as Tso Chinese. It's a notable experiment in restaurant design and function for Whataburger at a time when many quick-service restaurants are testing out new ways to appeal to customers post-pandemic.

While this nearly 2,300-square-foot store is moving in a digital direction, it will not lose the human touch. Whataburger will need about 50 employees for this location, including salaried restaurant leadership, management positions and hourly workers.

Ivannikov said there is no opening date to share yet, but he expects this location will be ready to serve guests soon. The company did not disclose from where it's sourcing the technology for the digital kitchen.

The company registered its plans with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in March 2022.

Whataburger reports online it has more than 940 locations in 14 states, with annual sales of more than $3 billion. Locations are being added in Florida, both franchised and corporate-owned, San Antonio Business Journal reported in March.

BDT Capital Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm, bought a majority stake in Whataburger in 2019.

 

From today's SA Biz Journal in re: Digital Whataburger

[YGIFS 19450]

3 hours ago, ftf82 said:

"We’re excited to introduce Whataburger’s first digital kitchen in Austin's Bee Cave"

Wow, sounds like the guy really knows the area in which the project his ass is on the line for is located.  

I also liked the "a June 18th visit found plenty of parking"    Oh on a Sunday, during summer break for nearby schools, without the fucking thing even being open yet.  Real hard-hitting journalism.  "While in Austin on Sunday, June 18th, we found plenty of yardline seats available at DRK football stadium as well as no wait in the drive-thru lane at What-a-Burger competitor, the nearby Chick-Fil-A."  

[ftf82 485]

On 5/18/2023 at 8:09 AM, YGIFS said:

They want to try and launch the product before the end of the school year to see how the traffic flow will work but there's only 7 days left in the school year nearby.  Then they'll spend the summer sorting out logistics. 

@YGIFS so is this place ever going to open or what?

[YGIFS 19450]

Apparently the usual what-a-burger punchlist/striking the set doesn't quite apply here so they're taking longer than they'd like.  They are paying full NNN freight so neither the city nor property corp. seems to give a shit.  I do know they wanted to open up before the school year (the nearby 4 public schools plus a half-dozen privates).  But that's looking less and less likely considering that's in just 1 week. We did a walk-through with the CRE manager earlier this summer and they had a ways to go but a matter of weeks, not months.  I'll take a peek today or tomorrow.  Whatever happens though, it's gonna be an absolutely shitshow for a few months once after-school pickup begins.  

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

On 1/8/2023 at 3:49 PM, ftf82 said:

anyone know what's going into the old Steinmart at Walsh Tarlton and Bee Cave?

Every time I look at this thread this post just cracks me up.  

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

7 minutes ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

Every time I look at this thread this post just cracks me up.  

My response is always”your mom” but I’ve never typed it.  

[YGIFS 19450]

9 minutes ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

Every time I look at this thread this post just cracks me up.  

It's going to be something light.  A Museum of Famous Jewish Sports Legends.  here, have a leaflet.

[jimmyjazz 45957]

2 hours ago, YGIFS said:

It's going to be something light.  A Museum of Famous Jewish Sports Legends.  here, have a leaflet.

[4th&Five 41554]

Marco’s closed. I’m sure Via opening there didn’t help. 

[Anastasis 23470]

2 hours ago, 4th&Five said:

Marco’s closed. I’m sure Via opening there didn’t help. 

Yeah. I’d really love to love 313 but their pizzas are consistently undercooked at that location. 

[4th&Five 41554]

I have one good experience and one bad one there. 

[HOOKEM4 5037]

This area is a goddamn desert for good food. I miss the good ole days when there was a bunch of ok food. Now it is expensive shit food.

[Anastasis 23470]

10 minutes ago, 4th&Five said:

I have one good experience and one bad one there. 

Like 1 to 3 ime. 

[HOOKEM4 5037]

Any one been here long enough to remember good Sam Hill cfs? What about lungs for badass tacos. That one was mom and pops and dates the fuck out of me.

[jimmyjazz 45957]

3 hours ago, HOOKEM4 said:

What about lungs for badass tacos. That one was mom and pops and dates the fuck out of me.

Wait ... Joe Lung?