Two Years Later: What the Hell Is Wrong With Austin Restaurant Customers?
We posted this during the earlier part of the COVID-19 crisis as Austin restaurants and customers were struggling with the new and unpleasant dining realities brought about by the pandemic. The question is: where are we now compared to back then? — Since local restaurants have been allowed to at least partially reopen, all in […]
Will the Delta Variant Impact Indoor Dining in Austin?
Just when we all thought it was safe to get back in the water, so to speak, the raging Delta variant threatens to once again debilitate our local restaurants and their ability to provide indoor dining. The cruel irony of this surge is that it has struck just as some sense of normalcy has been […]
Greg Abbott’s 100% Solution for the Texas Economy: How Austin Restaurants Are Handling It
To say that the past year has been very challenging to Austin restaurants would be a massive understatement. For most it has been a daily struggle coping with health mandates, retaining staff, and operating with substantially reduced capacity. So in the wake of Governor Greg Abbot’s sudden and surprising announcement that businesses in Texas could […]
New York City Restaurants Reopen at 25% Capacity
An announcement that has delighted restaurant fans in New York City was finally made this week: Indoor dining will resume at 25% capacity. Frankly though, I doubt that all of the restaurants are as delighted. Masks and temperature checks at the door will be mandatory. Each party must also leave the name of one person […]
Hope for Austin Restaurants: Customers Appear to Be Stepping Up on COVID Safety
Several weeks ago I posted an article blasting Austin restaurant customers for their lax attitudes and in many cases almost complete indifference to restaurant safety protocols. Since then based on what I hear from local restaurants things have started looking up. Of course this may be due to the dramatic spike in Austin COVID-19 cases […]
What the Hell Is Wrong With Austin Restaurant Customers?
Since local restaurants have been allowed to at least partially reopen, all in all it has not been a particularly pleasant sight. Our restaurants are literally busting their asses to keep their stores safe, sanitized and hospitable but many customers, it seems, are not rewarding the effort. I’ve heard from dozens of servers, managers and owners […]
Austin Restaurants Where Takeout Dinners Match Quality of Dine-In
As a restaurant critic, one thing I almost never did at my favorite restaurants prior to the pandemic was to order a meal to-go. But things have changed. While I still prefer dining in with enhanced safety measures in place, there are times that’s just not possible. So where does one go for curbside takeout where the order […]
Austin Area Restaurant Reopenings
For dedicated foodies everywhere, the closing of restaurants has certainly been just one of the many difficult aspects of living with COVID-19. We’re happy to report that, in addition to takeout, many restaurants in the Austin area are now beginning to open their dining rooms to customers too. Here’s a list of openings we’re aware […]
Local Restaurants vs. COVID-19: Stories From the Front Lines
As Austin Restaurants slowly reopen, they have found the challenges have been far greater than restaffing, reestsblishing relationships with vendors, reaching out to customers and rethinking menus. It has come down to one battle where the lines have been clearly drawn. There is literally a war being fought between restaurants and a vicious unseen enemy. […]
Step by Cautious Step, Austin Restaurants Begin to Reopen
After a depressing two months of imposed inactivity, Austin’s restaurants are gradually reopening. From large establishments like downtown steakhouse III Forks to smaller mom and pop joints like Hoover’s Cooking and Homespun Kitchen and Bar in Dripping Springs, the process has been similar: thoroughly sanitizing surfaces and kitchen cookware, installing hand washers for customers, investing […]
The Harsh Reality for Restaurants in the Age of COVID-19
It’s been an amazing decade for both America’s and Austin’s restaurants. Diners have been able to indulge themselves in a gastronomic cornucopia of amazing concepts, with flavors from around the world crafted by brilliantly creative chefs. This unprecedented largess seemed infinite. Spectacular new restaurants opened around the country leaving restaurant critics, myself included, virtually speechless […]
Austin Restaurants Finally Welcome Customers in to Dine
May 1st was a date that local restaurants and their customers had been eagerly looking forward to. The date had been set by Governor Abbott for the “reopening” of the Texas economy, a ruling that included a variety of businesses along with restaurants. Specific heath guidelines were established along with the numbers of customers who […]
