A Restaurant Recipe

A Restaurant

Recipe

How Components of Eateries Compare

Spring 2023

Meet the Editors!

Eliza’s favorite food is popcorn because of the variety of flavors and how it can be a snack or a meal. Her favorite Austin restaurant is Sazan Ramen due to the delicious ramen and friendly staff. Eliza loves the movie Knives Out because of the unique plot. Eliza overthinks a lot, leading to perfectionism and doing much more than she needs to, which helps her but also sets her back. She also thinks that a hotdog is a sandwich.

Kieran says that his favorite food is pizza. His favorite local restaurant is Terry Black’s BBQ (which is surprising considering his favorite food is pizza). His favorite movie is Inception because of how unique and entertaining it is. Kieran believes that his strength is confidence and his weakness is his sleep schedule. He believes that a hotdog is not a sandwich because the bun is not wide enough to be a sandwich and the bun is connected and not slices.

Emil agreed with Kieran in that his favorite food is pizza. His favorite local restaurant is P Terry’s Burger Stand. His favorite movie is Interstellar. Emil thinks he is good at time management, but he can sometimes struggle with it due to getting hung up on things. He was at first impartial towards the hotdog-sandwich debate, but after some time, Emil does concede that a hotdog is a sandwich because hotdog buns can be used as sandwich bread.

Aaliyah loves sushi and the Harry Potter film series. Her favorite local restaurant is the family-owned Asia Cafe because she’s been going there since she was born and it has the best Chinese food in Austin. She agrees that sleeping is both a weakness and strength for her because it prevents her from doing work but she also needs it to function. According to Aaliyah, a hotdog is not a sandwich, because sandwiches have two separate pieces of bread.

Ash’s favorite food is any type of candy. Her favorite restaurant in Austin is Mr. Gatti’s Pizza. Ash loves Monster in Paris because of the amazing soundtrack and intriguing storyline. One strength of hers is her ability to hyperfocus, but as a result, she has a short attention span that makes things difficult. She thinks a hotdog is definitely not a sandwich because it’s not.

By Kieran Tower

Table Of Contents

Meet the Team: 1

Table Of

Contents: 2-3

Choose Your Cafe: 4-5

Comparing

Cafes: 6-11

Fast Food Revenue vs Average Wages: 12-13

Fast Facts: 14-17

Mind the Maze and Find the Food:

18-19

Portable Kitchens: 20-23

Now vs Then: 24-25

Competing classics: 26-

Would You go? Yes, No?: 30-31

Austin’s Little Gems: 32-35

By Aaliyah Rouin

I’ve got a small group.

CAFE

Follow the Flowchart

PARIS BAGUEETTE

CAFE

the Perfec tPlace

By Eliza Hawley

rt

WWhen exploring a variety of cafes in Austin, the first step is defining what a cafe actually is. Suzanne Daniels, the owner of Brentwood Social House, thinks that a cafe is “a place for people not just to get sustenance, not just to get their morning coffee fix, but to really commune with their neighbors and to be a space for people to come together.”

“The biggest thing with a cafe is that you have to have something special…

-Exploring Breakfast

something that sets you apart from someone else,” said Kenny Gambone, owner of Mary’s Cafe. And,for Mary’s, that special item is on the menu: Belgian sugar waffles bursting with flavor and sweetness. Whether cafes serve meals like this all day, or mostly in the morning, the food within cafes usually consists of a breakfast-like meal, pastries, or a quick snack, along with a cup of coffee.

Another thing that sets these eateries apart from other types of restaurants is the sources they use. As Gambone said, breakfast restaurants “are bringing in a lot of their ingredients from big distribution centers, where it’s a little bit more mass marketed.” The ingredients behind cafe meals in Austin are much more locally sourced, resulting in authentic meals throughout the menu.

Not only do cafes offer unique food, they also have a distinct space. Cafes offer an environment that can be utilized for a variety of things, whether the customer is studying, grabbing a quick bite to eat, hanging out, or just enjoying a nice meal. Maddy Lamb, a barista at Epoch Coffee, said that cafe environments are usually friendlier and more original than other restaurants. Bela Castaño, a customer at both Epoch Coffee and Mary’s Cafe, described cafes as “a short hangout space” that is cozy and brief.

So, different cafes have a lot in common, but what sets them apart? Through looking at specific cafes in Austin: Epoch Coffee, Mary’s Cafe, and Brentwood Social House, the unique characteristics are brought to light.

Since cafes offer so much in their spaces, their demographics are bound to contrast. In Epoch Coffee, the clientele varies significantly. According to

“The biggest thing with a cafe is that you have to have something special.”

-Kenny Gambone, Owner of Mary’s Cafe

AserveratEpochCoffeeslidesoveraMocha withdecorativeflair.Photo courtesy of MaddyLamb.

Comparing cafes Breakfast Businesses-

Lamb, “You never know who is going to come in.” Lamb works the night shift from 12-6am, so she’s seen it all: from people unironically dressed as wizards, to famous celebrities. She said “We have college students, we have business people, there’s just lots of people that float in through the day, all walks of life.” All in all, Epoch has, as Lamb said, “a super inclusive range.”

When asked why such an array of people are brought to Epoch, Lamb said “I think it’s because we are very indiscriminate whenever we serve people. And, our entire cast and crew, staff members, are equal and diverse as the people that we serve.”

All three Epoch Coffee locations have vintage-like aesthetics and contain lots of local art, outdoor spaces, and comfy chairs.

Castaño said she liked the fact that Epoch offers seating outside; “That outdoor seating is very nice because it caters to people who don’t want quite as loud of an environment in regard to people.” She also added that Epoch is great for studying: “It’s a really nice atmosphere, there are desk spaces and hard surfaces where you can write and read, and food and drinks in case you get hungry or thirsty while studying and need a break.” The three locations are all unique in their own way, but according to Lamb, the North Loop location is the busiest due to having 24/7 hours and being the original location.

Meanwhile, Mary’s Cafe draws in a different group of people. “We have a lot of students from UT and Austin CC, then, right next to us is St. David’s Hospital,” said Gambone. His cafe

is located north of the University of Texas, so students make up a significant portion of his demographic. “We also get a lot of medical staff, a lot of people that are visiting their loved one, or maybe their spouse is having minor surgery or something, and they just need to kill time for a couple hours,” said Gambone. But, students and people from St. David’s aren’t

TheEpochCoffee inNorthloopincludesa coveredpatioforcustomerstoenjoy.Photo CourtesyofElizaHawley.

the only customers. Mary’s also serves as a rich destination for couples and families. Like Castaño said, Mary’s is for “anyone looking for a cheap but enjoyable experience as a family with some fun food.”

By Eliza Hawley

“You never know who is going to come in.”

-Maddy Lamb, Epoch Coffee Server

Gambone’s cafe was a dream come true, so he’s always working to make the cafe a friendlier place. He says, “We look at every customer like we don’t know what they have going on that day; they might be having a stressful day; could be a student that has a big test that they’re really worried about.” Gambone and his staff get messages constantly that thank the cafe for their kind and welcoming nature. In addition

nice for this space.”

Brentwood Social House shares a similar goal of being a friendly neighborhood cafe: “We do have a lot of families that come in, a lot of neighborhood people that can walk and ride their bikes.” Daniels makes an effort to welcome everyone, but works hard to ensure that kids and parents have an enjoyable experience. Here, “it’s a place where parents

to having a compassionate attitude towards customers, Gambone said “a lot of young people come in, so that kind of gives us the opportunity to make food that they can afford.” Gambone works to make sure that the food can be affordable by shopping at Restaurant Depot, having discounts for healthcare workers and students, and having a price range within the menu. The aesthetic of the cafe has a hot pink color scheme, collages on the walls, and murals outside, Gambone described his design choices as “a mix of what I could afford and also aesthetically what I thought was

“We look at every customer like we don’t know what they have going on that day; they might be having a stressful day; could be a student that has a big test that they’re really worried about.”

-Kenny Gambone, Owner of

and caregivers can come and feel comfortable and actually have a good cup of coffee and or glass of wine or something and their kiddos can play safely.” Daniels loves the mix of people that are drawn to the cafe. One of her favorite memories was when “there was this table of older gentlemen; they had on suits, and they were having a meeting. At the other end of the room, there were three year olds playing at the train table, and it was just a really sweet mix of just a little bit of something for everyone.” Since so many of the people

Cafe

Mary’s

TheenvironmentatMary’sisfullofbrightaccentsandcutefurniture.Photocourtesy ofYelp.

that visit this home-like cafe are children, Daniels, a parent herself, adapted to her customers’ high-energy needs by getting a playground. This playscape was perfect for entertaining kids and increased the amount of customers. Daniels also mentioned having changed the menu to accommodate customers with dietary restrictions. But the menu wasn’t the only thing they changed: “Early on, we were closed on Sundays and we realized within the first two weeks of being open that we probably needed to be open on Sundays and that is typically our busiest day now.” Additionally, Brentwood Social House strives to be a center of community. “We host a lot of events to support the community and we do vendors markets to support entrepreneurs in the area. We have kids music, kids bands to support the families,” Daniels said.

Even though customers and environments play an integral role in cafes, food is the main component here, and these restaurants each have their own way of doing it. At Mary’s, there are bagels, wraps, waffles, paninis, smoothies, and many types of coffee. “We like to have a variety for people,” Gambone said. They serve mostly breakfast and lunch, and include

products from local businesses: “We use Third Coast coffee, which is a local coffee roaster, so they roast all of our coffee beans for us and they bring us coffee beans every day.” They also get

By Eliza Hawley

StudentsspendtimestudyingattheFarwest Epochlocation.PhotobyElizaHawley.

BrentwoodSocialHousehaslotsofmurals and artaroundthebusinesstoshowsupport

their bagels from the local company Rockstar Bagels. Gambone said “everything we do, we make fresh to order” Because of that, the staff does prepping; ”In the in-between time when [the workers] don’t have a customer, they will portion salsa, or grind the coffee and measure it.”

Gambone has a small staff, with two people full time and two people coming in four days a week. In the morning, he said “We get to the cafe about a half hour before we open and we get things ready for the day.” From open to close, Gambone is in the kitchen, where he does a lot of meal prep and makes focaccia bread in-house. Meanwhile, the barista will serve people face to face and make coffee and sandwiches. At the end of the day, he said, “We close at two o’clock, so usually

we’re out of here about two thirty, three o’clock, after we get the place cleaned up and do all the dishes.”

Epoch is very different from Mary’s, with a large staff and a location that is open 24/7. Despite the large staff, they have a very caring community.

Lamb said, “Everybody just kind of looks after each other. A lot of people are at different parts of their lives, different stages, that all have this mutual love for how this place is run.” This is Lamb’s favorite part of Epoch: the community of staff within the cafe. She also said that the leaders are very supportive and that “the owners will always choose the staff over whatever problems arise.” Lamb used to work at a traditional restaurant and heavily prefers being a barista because cafes have a nicer aroma, she likes making coffee more than food, and cafes are

BrentwoodSocialHousehasavarietyoftastytreats,includingtheBritishBakewellTartand MillionaireBar. PhotobyElizaHawley.

“Everybody just kind of looks out for each other.”

-Maddy Lamb, Epoch Coffee Server

more people-oriented. She is always working to make customers feel at home by making “the line as fine as [she] possibly can between staff member and customer.”

At Epoch Coffee, they are much more drinkbased, which makes sense given that coffee is literally in the name. They serve tea, coffee, blendies, espressos, and much more. Epoch

uses private, house-made roasters at another location for their coffee grounds. And despite the wide drink selection, they also have a collection of baked goods and snacks. Lamb said “All of our pastries we get from East Side

They also have afternoon tea, which is a British tradition in which pastries and sandwiches are stacked on a three-tiered stand. This British bakery style was brought to the cafe by a past business partner, and Daniels has been able to continue since, which she is very proud of. Most of the food here is pastries, but paninis are made to order and pies can be heated up. This neighborhood spot is similar to a bakery in that after the pastries are soldout, they’re gone. However, this is not the case on Saturdays, when they do a second bake. According to Daniels, “The bake team probably comes in at about 5:30 or 6 o’clock.” Her 18-person staff is split up into two groups that each have a manager: the Front of House Team, that serves people, and Back of House Team, that makes the food. Daniels said “what we’ve created over the last six years is a big part because of the team that we have in place. It’s not just me, at all; it’s very much a group effort.”

Pies and Clever, but we bake them here.” To supplement the delicious dishes, Epoch also makes its own syrups.

Brentwood Social House has a unique spin on their culinary cuisine, as they have lots of British food. “We do really have unique items that can’t be found in Austin, like the bakewell tart, and millionaire bars, and the fat rascal scones,” said Daniels.

Though cafes can vary in food, customers, environments, and processes, at the end of the day -or rather, the start of it- cafes in Austin offer a unique restaurant experience for anyone looking for a nice sip of coffee and an enjoyable bite to eat.

By Eliza Hawley

“We do really have unique items that can’t be found in Austin, like the bakewell tart and millionaire bars, and the fat rascal scones,”

-Suzanne Daniels, Owner of Brentwood Social House

Epoch’sstaffcommunityposesforaphoto outsideoftheNorthlooplocation.PhotocourtesyofMaddyLamb.

vs Average Wages

Fast Food corporations

Have you ever wanted to see which fast food corporations pay their workers the most money proportional to their yearly revenue? Just find your favorite fast food chain on this handy chart!

By Kieran Tower

FAST FACTS: THE DECLINE OF FAST FOOD JOINTs AFTER THE PANDEMIC

The recent coronavirus pandemic was a huge global shock to many economies and industries. One of the hardest hit sectors in America was the fast food industry. Global corporations and local businesses all had to scale back operations, figure out a way to deal with the lack of customers, and try to survive the effects of such a catastrophe. Not every restaurant made it through, and those who did have an arguably even tougher challenge of staying afloat in the post-pandemic era. There are many factors contributing to a harsh environment for restaurants these days, like inflation, supply chain issues, a tight labor market, and high cost of living.

Tacodeli, an Austin-based taco restaurant, is one such chain that’s been affected by the pandemic. The fast food industry stagnated and the beloved local taco joint was no exception.

Scott Grossfeld, a co-owner, said, “We slowed down the growth during COVID. But since then we’ve started redoubling our efforts. So, starting to get some more signed leases and continue to grow.”

Like many other restaurants,

Tacodeli has made it their top priority to grow and expand now that the industry has recovered from the pandemic. However, it isn’t that easy. There are many steps to take before expanding operations.

Many people had to leave their jobs during the pandemic,

“As we open new locations it’s really about recruiting, hiring, and training people. Those are the biggest challenges, particularly right now [in this] really tight labor market.” - Scott

leading to a massive labor shortage and hiring crisis.

However, the labor industry is not the only problem for restaurants in the postpandemic era. Rising food prices are also a big factor in why so many restaurants are struggling. “It’s kind of like this perfect storm coming out of the pandemic, [with] disruptions to supply chains, the war in Ukraine, and all these droughts and flooding,” explained Jill Hobbs,

By Kieran Tower

Grossfeld

a professor of agricultural economics. “So it’s certainly made for volatile food markets and increasing food prices for consumers.” Restaurants are having trouble purchasing the food they need to sell, which doesn’t make their job much easier. The agriculture sector is so unreliable that supply is not a given, especially with the natural weather events happening right now. “Agriculture is an entirely biological process, right? You plant the crops or you feed the animals, so you’re very much at the whim of the weather or excess heat, and there’s not much you can often do about that as a farmer. So I think those types of vulnerabilities are problematic.” explained Hobbs.

There are also many factors contributing to the current

inflation, which is higher than it’s been in decades. “We’ve seen this big run up in food prices, and inflation in general, and there’s a bunch of things behind that. The relative mean inflation is around six or seven percent,” Hobbs said. “And the government pumped a whole bunch of money into the economy just to keep people employed and so forth. There’s lots of what we call liquidity, lots of money floating around in the economy, and that’s also contributing to inflation.”

Not only are there global struggles with the pandemic, inflation, and supply chains, the local side of things is also looking grim. Austin is notoriously becoming exponentially more expensive to live in than in the past. Restaurant workers are facing tough times as their wages stay low and their expenses rise. “It’s tough because [the restaurant] obviously needs to stay in business, but also pay

everyone a fair wage as much as possible.” said Grossfeld. “And that becomes harder and harder in markets like Austin, where it’s hard for folks to live and work in the city, given how expensive Austin has become.” Fair wages are a tense subject for the food industry. The minimum wage has been the same for almost 15 years, while the value of money has been decreasing. Many restaurant owners try to take the high road and support their workers with a high salary, but too much of an increase will lead to economic troubles for the business.

Restaurant managers have the tricky task of balancing the welfare of their employees with keeping their business afloat. Not all can do it, and most startup restaurants these days unfortunately go out of business. One in three restaurants go out of business in their first year of operation. The industry is

JillHobbs,anAgricultural Economicsprofessoratthe UniversityofSaskatchewan. CoutresyofJillHobbs

AscrumptiousTacodelitaco.CourtesyofTacodeli.

not forgiving, and current conditions make starting a successful restaurant a nearly impossible task. Hobbs said, “Those that find their niche are able to compete [and] survive, but then again, it’s sort of a sector that’s dealing with these rising food costs… It’s also a pretty hard industry to find good chefs. And it’s not an easy job.” The best way to survive as a restaurant business is to find your niche and be unique to set yourself apart from the competition. However, it can be very tough to find people who can work

for you when you need highly skilled chefs and workers to fulfill your idea. There’s no clear cut path to success, which is another reason the restaurant sector is so tough

to work in.

There are always many challenges to overcome in order to start a restaurant business. The industry is known for its difficulty compared to other lines of work. Especially after the global coronavirus pandemic, there have been factors like inflation, supply chain issues, high cost of living, and labor shortage that combine into a perfect storm to prevent restaurants from operating successfully.

McDonalds,oneofthemosticonicfastfoodchains.CourtesyofMcDonalds.

By Kieran Tower

“Restaurants have always been prone to failure. That’s quite common with [them]. A large proportion of restaurants that start up don’t make it.” - Jill Hobbs

Mind the Maze and

and Find the Food

CUPCAKES

MUFFIN

DANISH

BURGER

CHURRO

ICE CREAM

TACOS

SALAD

SANDWICH

BREAD

CAFE

NOODLES

CORNDOGS

PIZZA

PASTA

MOCHI

CHEESE

EGGS

DONUT

FAST FOOD

COFFEE

SUSHI

MEAT

Food Trucks are an integral part of the unique Austin environment. People within food trucks have a much harder time keeping themselves as a restaurant compared to a restaurant that doesn’t move unlike a food truck. Unlike a normal restaurant there aren’t a big variety of jobs such as chefs, owners, and customers. Which being a customer isn’t really a job at all. Each opinion is different and provides a different perspective on food trucks. Chefs have the most viable experience being actually employed by the owner or being the own- er themselves. Chefs have a vital and very important role in the food truck but there wouldn’t be any chefs without the owner even

Portable Kitchens

establishing a small business that will hopefully prosper into a beautiful company.

Customers might come to a food truck often, although they visit and see the basics like the name of the truck, how the truck looks, and possibly the names of the owner and the chef. They won’t know it like the chef or the owner would. A chef from a Mexican food truck said that he had a sixth sense when it came to making the cafe welcoming, the chef said “It’s just a feeling that I have.” A recurring subject throughout the interviews at these Mexican food trucks was that the chefs had a “sixth sense”,a ”feeling”, or a “Natural habit” Those three phrases were by far the most common ideas from the eight Mexican food trucks I talked to. I did go to Mueller Park and talk to a few different people there, mainly customers though because the majority of the interviewees I had were cooks and a few owners. Enrique, who owns a small food truck,had quite a bit to say.He had said that he changed his menu once a month and only kept the most popular dishes on the menu, so if a dish was doing well one month,he kept it on the menu. Conversely, if a dish did not do well, next month it would be taken off

Kitchens

the menu. Another owner, Emmanuel, owned a food truck that was settled down like a small shack with plastic covering and wall protectors to prevent rain from coming in. His menu changed rarely and randomly, unlike Enrique, who changes his based on dish popularity.

Meanwhile, at Stonehouse Wood Fired Grill a chef named Alex H. said that because he wasn’t the owner, he couldn’t change the menu unilaterally, but he could suggest recipe changes to the owner that could then be put into actionAlthough Alex couldn’t do much about changing the menu, he did have a lot to say about how he could keep customers happy and come back for more. Instead of a “sixth sense”,he said that he had learned the basics about cooking from watching his dad cook barbeque as a child.Alex said “My dad had made a family spice recipe and I use that to cook with

the barbeque.” He used this technique to give the barbeque more flavor. He also likes to take out the barbeque a little early to keep some of the juices in the meat, but he has to be careful to not make it raw or undercooked.

Since Alex is very particular with his food and process, he said “Only people that’ll get this recipe off me will be my children” This is a common idea, family recipes-whether it be a food recipe, a spice recipe, or a spice mix are to be passed down through the generations of said family. The recipes seem to lose their uniqueness and specialness when told to anybody who asks for it. Throughout the rest of the interview Alex didn’t know much about financing a business but he was close friends with the owner so when the owner had asked him to come work for him at a food truck business he had begun, he was more than happy to take up the job.

After the interview finished there was one question left, who was the owner? After calling

By Ash Aleman

the owner, setting up a meeting with him and meeting up in front of the food truck the interview started. I had asked firstly what his name was, he said his name was James. After that I asked him about his relationship with Alex. They have known each other for quite some time and when James started up his food truck business one of the first people who came to mind on who to hire was Alex. After I had asked him the questions about himself and Alex I began to ask about how to keep the business going and fresh. He said “We don’t change

out our menu items, only the way we make them” which was a surprising answer, the only things that would change in the menu would be the sauces and flavors. But all of the food items never left the menu. He had also told me that taking note of what the customers wanted was vital for the benefit of the business, as well as spending money to buy the basic products you’re using to make your food but to watch how much you’re spending as you don’t want to go into debt or not make any profit. I had asked how much profit they make on a monthly basis and the response was around 650 to 700 in profit as they do buy a hefty portion of their supply but charge a little more than you would normally have to buy the product for. Which is a very simple thing to do but it is a smart thing to do. Buying the meat itself is already quite expensive nowadays but it would be cheaper to just buy the food cooked and ready to eat than wait hours, possibly days for it to be cooked if you bought it yourself. And after that I asked him for any tips about how to save money and spend it wisely in the right areas without spending too much money in total, James had told me in return that he wasn’t the best on those areas but he does know a few tips being that to document all of your spendings in a checkbook then add all of the spendings up together. The second

tip he had talked about was about making sure that you pay for everything without using any type of credit card or loaned money as much as possible. Using those types of payments also end up giving you interest when you pay the bank back, for example if you spend 40 dollars on a credit card you might end up paying 60 dollars back.

By Ash Aleman

Now Vs. Then: Then

The Purpose

In this alternative story format, I will try to show the effects of inflation and COVID-19 on the restaurant economy, and how it has forced buisnesses to raise their prices significantly.

Food Prices Now

Prices After COVID (2023)

Ramen Tatsuya

Honest Mary’s Odd Duck

Inflation & COVID-19

As workers have quit their jobs and the labor shortage continues, employers are forced to pay more money for laborers.laboreres, which raises the prices. Therefore, the entire economy is affected, inlcuding the food industry, which forces restuarants to raise their prices so they can compete. In addition, the pandemic has negatively affected the economy, since customers are harder to come by, so owners have been forced to raise prices even higher.

By Emil Chafigoulline

While many people focus on the food and aesthetics of a restaurant, there is a lot more that goes on behind the scenes, including money management, pay, and ingredient purchases.

The Austin culinary scene boasts a wide variety of unique dining options, from quick cafes and fast food to delicious food trucks and alternative dining. However, Austin also contains a wide variety of exemplary sitdown restaurants, all of which have to compete with one another and figure out how to compete with the

Competing

-the struggle of the sit-down

“You

other styles of dining in Austin. Restaurant owners and managers have to be conscious of a few things, from competition with their fellow restaurants to knowing how to divide their profits between parts of the business.

While some types of dining styles have different ways of managing their profits, many “classic” restaurants use the same general strategy. That strategy involves dividing the money earned into different fractions, which are kept consistent. Nelson Monteith, owner of Honest Mary’s says, “It’s pretty

want your labor and your food costs to be around 60 percent of the profit of your sales.”

-Nelson Monteith

FoodfromBarleySwineiscolorfulanddelicious.PhotocourtesyofBryceGilmore.

sit-down restaurant industry-

general, but I think it does kind of hold up that you want your labor and your food costs to be around 60% of the profit of your sales. And so for us what that looks like is usually around 30% labor and 30% food. So, if someone spends $10 on Honest Mary’s $3 of that is going to go to paying our staff and $3 of that’s going to be going to paying our food. And, then there’s another $2 of that’s just gonna be paying operating costs and rent and things like that. So, then hopefully, we can take home $2 for every $10. …As far as pricing the menu, we want to set the price in such a way that after we’ve paid for the cost of that

bowl, we can still get sustainable profit.”

Bryce Gilmore, owner and head chef at Barley Swine, has a similar approach. His

take on profit division is that “you figure out what that percentage needs to be based on what your other costs are, whether it’s labor or rent or utilities, things like that. And then you also balance that with how well does your dish sell? If you don’t sell very many of them, you might be able to charge more or less for it.” Implementing this within their restaurants helps owners keep their businesses running smoothly and efficiently.

Meanwhile, Margaret Smith, coowner of Allday Pizza prefers a different approach. Smith inserts the profits into a master Excel document that calculates the total cost of ingredients for a dish and therefore how much she should charge for a dish. However, setting prices is just a small part of the challenges that owners have to

By Emil Chafigoulline

HonestMary’sserveshealthybowlstocustomers. PhotocourtesyofNelsonMonteith.

BarleySwineservesauthenticAustindishes. PhotocourtesyofBarleySwine.

deal with in managing their restaurants. An additional challenge for sit-down restaurants is dealing with the competition between businesses in the same field, as this can influence employee availability, prices, and popularity of restaurants. Smith said, “You have to be competitive with your prices that are facing the consumer, and in order to be most competitive with those prices, you have to be smart inhouse, and you have to make sure your wages are not carving out too much of your percentages.”

Rather than focusing on meal prices, Barley Swine competes through its employee pay. Gilmore said that “If I say that I can only afford $15 an hour, but all the other restaurants in town are paying $18 an hour, then I’m going to have a hard time hiring people. So we have to make our prices comparable with other restaurants and then we have to figure out how to be able to afford that.” From customers to employees, people play a big role in influencing how successful a business is. Owners must gain their support, whether they use to pay or prices

is up to them.

Dine-in restaurants have a choice in how they compete and how they divide their profit, but one of the greatest freedoms is getting to finance and work toward certain

“I just hope more people start to care more about where the food comes from. I think that when more and more people demand a better food system by supporting small farms buying local by not being too stingy and paying more money for meat in general, I think that you’ll see the food system start to thrive a little bit more.”

-Bryce Gilmore

goals. Different owners try to take their businesses in different directions. For example, since Gilmore cares deeply about the environment, Barley Swine “works with this charity group called Zero Footprint, and when [they] found them a while back pre-COVID, [they] did a little survey thing to figure out what [their] carbon footprint was just trying to quantify what that was. And, they came up with a way to put a dollar amount to it, where we basically pay a certain amount of money to them every month, and then they take those dollars and they apply them to different farming practices. So, basically giving the money to farmers, and they’re applying different techniques to try to recapture carbon into

AlldayPizzaservesdeliciouspizzatoAustinites Photocourtesyof AdrianVarela-Alvarez.

the ground.”

Honest Mary’s also strives to make the world a better place; Montieth prioritizes caring for people through jobs. He said, “I love knowing that I got to be a part of

creating something that gives people meaningful jobs and helps people see that. I think creating a meaningful job in the restaurant space, especially where there are a lot of really bad jobs, is really important.” These owners go through a great deal to maintain a healthy profit within their restaurants, and they all do so in a variety of ways with different strategies. This leads to some interesting financial styles between different sit-down restaurants in the Austin food scene.

By Emil Chafigoulline

BarleySwinepridesitselfonbeingcarbon-neutral,growingtheirownfood. PhotocourtesyofBryceGilmore

“We always have an idea of what our competition is charging. And I don’t think the goal is to always try to charge less or charge more, but it’s always important to have an idea of what others are charging.”

-Margaret Smith

Would you go? Yes, No?

I had set up a survey with a few fun restaurants, and places with good food to choose from. All of the restaurants don’t meet the standards for “typical” places to eat; some are themed, some aren’t, but that’s the fun of it!

In the graph on the bottom left you see the survey results from “A Restaurant’s Recipe”. You can definitley see that it is all over the place! ‘OMG Squee!’ is the most because of the food available and the aesthetic (result of the food). The Hive was the least voted because of how it is more ‘homey’ and comforting in comparison to these other places.

“I really like the Sprinkles ATM because it seems like a great concept. It’s looks easy and quick to acquire a cupcake. Not to mention, their cakes look amazing and I love cupcakes.” - Lina Morris, feedback on the survey.

I had chosen my category for this project for certain responses like Lina’s. I wanted to shed light on how these local restaurants have their own unique spark and are somewhat different than those that are chains or just a big name. I wanted people to become aware and try these unique places.

They may be popular, but you don’t find these restaurants everywhere. Yeah, there will be similarities, and they may have started a chain, but these are local and unique to us! Below are the top three voted restaurants.

Kura Sushi

OMG Squee!

Taquero Mucho

ImagecourtesyofBrianMassey PhotocourtesyofMylaniPeach Imagecourtesyof KRV

Austin is home to many unique restaurants that offer a wide range of distinctive dining experiences; from trendy new spots to long time favorites.

One such restaurant is Kura Sushi, which is different from other sushi restaurants in a variety of ways. This restaurant incorporates technology in an interesting way by offering a special and convenient feature that allows customers to

Restaurant Austin’s Little

order on a touch screen. The restaurant’s main use of technology lies in their use of conveyor belts, which bring around multiple types of sushi that people can easily pick up. When the customer is done, there is a slot for the plates that they put in and it counts those to determine the final price (plate prices range from $3 to $3.50). When you get to 15 plates, you get a little cartoon/ anime ad and a prize (which can be little lego’s, an anime toy, a little comic etc.)! Kura also does focus on availability (which is slightly ironic

Austinandeverythingithastoofferisbeatifullysprawledout.PhotobyofChristopherSherman.

Little Gems

because they are always so busy!). Sushi is normally quite expensive, but Kura has lots of high-quality sushi for reasonable prices. Kura Sushi is a great place to go to for people who would like to enjoy sushi in a unique way at a reasonable price.

Another popular fan favorite is The Hive in South Austin. This business offers amazing drinks, delicious baked goods, and incredible customer service. But what really stands out is the two-story playscape and garden in their backyard. This beautiful garden attracts our much needed insect friends: bees and butterflies! (They use some of the items they grow in what they make, for example: garnishes in/on their drinks). In an interview with their general manager, Michael Guidry, he said, “I was drawn to

this place because it feels like an ‘old Austin establishment’. And my good friends own it so I want to make sure it succeeds.” In addition to an eccentric environment, the restaurant contains a lively, humor filled space. Guidry also said, “There is comedy in this place everyday. Waterlines busting and spraying most of the cafe was pretty funny, recently.” Here, people have such joy in their workplace, and it rubs off on the atmosphere and vibes surrounding it. From customers looking for a cafe to eat at, to students wanting somewhere to study at, The Hive is the perfect place to enjoy a couple drinks and a meal!

Taquero Mucho is yet another unique restaurant in Austin’s diverse culinary scene. The restaurant is mostly known for its eye-catching pink decor which ranges from pink chandeliers and neon signs, to flowers and so much more. Not only his, Taquero Mucho has

a fun, vibrant atmosphere and delicious food. The menu has a huge variety of tacos and other Mexican

Imagecourtesyof:Mylani

By Aaliyah Rouin

“...we offer a little something for everyone. Students and workers can post up and get work done, families can come in to play in our great backyard and play space, and in the evenings it shofts to cocktails and live music.”

- Michael

Imagecourtesyof:TheHive

dishes, some of which are even pink! They also have a wide array of alcoholic beverages like cocktails, beer, margaritas, and wine. Taquero Mucho definitely draws people looking for a night out, a hang out with friends, or an unusual pink treat.

Now, if you like donuts and mochi you would definitely like MochiNut. This is an unconventional dessert shop in Austin that is renowned for their mochi donuts. Mochi donuts are basically a regular donut plus mochi, they use the starch/flour to make the inside chewy, but in such a way that it still has the donut like texture. Their menu has a wide range of flavors ranging from classic green tea to something more unique like lychee and black sesame ( I’ve heard that there could be a hot cheeto one!) Their mochi is made fresh each day, resulting in an extremely soft and chewy taste. They also offer other snacks like shaved ice, taiyaki, boba tea, and yummy Korean Corn Dogs. This place has a lovely and comforting atmosphere that would be great to spend time at and experience.

For people looking for a place that is gluten free, then this is the one!! OMG squee offers gluten free Asian-American desserts such as macarons, taiyaki, mochi donuts (similar toMochiNut), and bubble tea. This shop includes really cute faces and designs on their desserts that are

worth the wait. They have wonderful customer service, amazing food, and a really great atmosphere.

Sprinkles Austin is a curious cupcake shop that serves their baked delights in an intriguing way as a cupcake ATM! They specialize in cupcakes and offer a

“I love mochi donuts so much, I don’t know why, I just really love it and its just really delicious.”

-Customer at Mochi Nut

wide variety of baked goods and flavors to choose from. They have quite a reputation for their delicious food and lovely decorations. The way the ATM works is just like any other ATM (only safer because of the cupcakes), they are a bit pricey for cupcakes, ranging from $5$6, but we believe that this is a cute and unique place to try!

Another place, not just in Austin (it travels) has such a unique buisness, its just amazing! This is called The Dinner Detective! This buisness is a place were you go and ‘just’ eat dinner, but you are actually going to witness a murder show! The customers will be included within this amazing maserpiece of a buisness and you can help solve the mystery! The way you would come to do this is you would sign up for a ticket and go to where it is held (hotel service banquet areas) and show up for the show! Hav- ing the pleasure of talking to Whit- ney Axley via email, we learned alot about this buisness. (whitney is the ex- ecutive producer here.) Whitney said “Every show is funny and no 2 shows are exactly the same, I never get bored of it!” Whitney has been working with The Dinner Detective since 2005, it having started in 2004. She has so much to say about it (all positive things of course) she wouldn’t want to change anything about it because she says “I love my work because I get to work with my husband and we

are partners and have a common goal to make great experiences for people and it is so fun working together and achieving great things.” Whitney loves her time here and she wouldnt change it. So if you want a surprising, fun, and interesting dinner, take a look at their website and try to stop right by!

Austin has a wide range of abnormal and amazing restaurants to choose from, so whether you’re in the mood for sushi, baked goods, desserts, coffee, or anything more, these could be perfect for you! Austin has quite a diverse collection of local restaurants, some of which only have one or two locations! So maybe, just maybe, branch out a bit, it couldn’t hurt.