Home > The M.O. > Archives > 2009 > October > 14 > Entry
Is El Chilito in a cursed location?
Where your business is can help drive business and be a determining factor in success, and it can also be a detriment. We all know the spots on certain streets in towns where we have lived that always seemed cursed. A restaurant or shop is there one day and gone the next.
That has been the unfortunate truth for several restaurants at 1025 Barton Springs Road, at the intersection with Dawson Road.
While the west end of Barton Springs Road may be considered Austin’s Restaurant Row, the stretch of road between Sandy’s and McDonald’s has been anything but, especially for the unlucky spots at 1025.
Maybe you remember the sandwich places Castleberry’s Cafe (2003-2005) or Rockhound’s (2006), but it’s doubtful. There is a slightly better chance you remember Gypsy Italian Bistro (2007-2008), an average joint with a limited menu. They’re all gone, of course. Nothing seems to last. But maybe El Chilito will buck the curse that is featured in this CNNMoney.com story about “5 deadly spots.”
I am not sure if it is the fact that there are limited entertainment options within walking distance of the restaurant or the limited parking or relative inexperience of past restaurant operators at the address, but I have always been somewhat surprised that no place has ever succeeded there. Given people’s brand awareness of El Chilito thanks to El Chile and the original El Chilito on Manor Road, I think if any place is going to make it, this is the one.
From the CNNMoney.com story:
Legend has it that in the 1980s, 1025 Barton Springs Road was a hippie commune, with tents and pods stretched along the cliffs behind the property.“Wacky. That’s Austin,” laughs Carlos Rivero, a six-year veteran of Austin’s restaurant scene. In August, Rivero became the fourth entrepreneur in five years to open a restaurant at the address, which has also been home to an architecture firm and a beer garden.
“I’ve wanted to go into that neighborhood for some time,” says Rivero. “Barton Springs Road is a landmark address.”
Rivero chalks the high failure rate of 1025 up to the inexperience of its recent tenants — newbie restaurateurs looking to capitalize on the neighborhood’s high traffic volume. As the hosting grounds for events such as the Austin City Limits Music Festival, the locale is also home to Zilker Park, a 350-acre area popular for its swimming pool and botanical gardens.
Gypsy Italian Bistro, the address’ latest casualty, received lots of good press for its innovative cuisine but was a little too fancy for the area, says Rivero. Gypsy’s chef, a recent graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, “was a first-time operator with very limited experience in the restaurant business — as a sit-down, full-service Italian restaurant, the place wasn’t very well capitalized for this particular location,” he says.
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Comments
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By Tim
October 14, 2009 2:24 PM | Link to this
It’s especially interesting since there are lunch spots on that street like Sandy’s that people drive out of their way for.
The Daugherty across the street also has frequent art and theater shows.
That corner should be able to sustain a restaurant. I’ve tried all the previous incarnations that you listed except Gypsy, and I’ll be honest - I didn’t go back because the food was subpar and/or they were poorly run.
By Jason Stoddard
October 14, 2009 2:27 PM | Link to this
Carlos is probably the smartest restaurateur in Austin, especially when it comes to negotiating a lease. The best thing Carlos can do with that location is to offer a drive-thru/walk up for breakfast tacos to better serve the cyclists and commuter traffic from Westlake to downtown. Tacos, etc. are a dime a dozen, so promote the convenience and ease of use and you’ll have commuter traffic redirecting their routes to grab a bite.
PS would love a cochinita pibil showdown between El Chilito and Taco Deli. Jus sayin…
By Chelsea
October 14, 2009 2:53 PM | Link to this
I live two blocks from that location, so I was pretty excited about the El Chilito. It’s no Taco Deli, but having breakfast tacos that close is great. I think Sandy’s does so well because it is a casual place, and because it has ample parking. Hopefully the casual feel of El Chilito will win over the area.
Still, I’d rather them close it and make a bar that could beat out Barton Springs Saloon — I can’t stand that place.
By Brent
October 14, 2009 9:59 PM | Link to this
Mark my word…El Chilito in this location will be closed by next year. The food is rather boring and the menu…lame. This would be an excellent location for a Taco Deli…if only the location had the parking to keep up with what is sure to be a very busy 3rd Deli location.
One year!!!
By C.R.H.
October 15, 2009 2:18 PM | Link to this
This location is a tough place to be. I know as a former buisness owner in that building. The people in the adjoining neighborhood (mostly california transplants) are tough to please and so snobby about where they live that they are unlikable. I was glad to be out of there as I really never wanted the building as my location. The rent is outrageous and the bums hang around there so much it scares people off.
By Pete Bimp
October 15, 2009 3:27 PM | Link to this
I’ve always wondered why this spot didn’t work. Seems like it should. I’ve heard the owner of the building is quite the tool. I have to agree with Chelsea…..it should be a bar. It’s hard to mess up a draft beer. Of all the past tenants, Rockhounds was the best. Keef’s Croissant Sandwich was the bomb!
By Chris
October 15, 2009 5:42 PM | Link to this
Hey Pete Bimp, former owner of Rockhounds here…thanks for the compliment. I really didn’t get a chance to improve my menu or get off the ground and have a fighting chance. It pains me to think that my one chance to start my own place was negated by a greedy landlord and a cursed location, oh yea, and the parking was a big problem. The landlord could care less and just sits back and collects his cash…typical greedhy austin land owner…keep austin weird? more like keep austin expensive…where did all the hippy ideals go?