taste of austin

from Austin Culinary Experience

by LASA Ezine

the cherry on top

About major Austin restaurant chains

By Arihanth Nuka

Taste of Austin

Pluckers Cheech and Chong

Austin has become a very large city, and has become an attraction for culinary enthusiasts. Just like the city, many Austin born restaurants became a large food chain and expanded very much. Some restaurants that did this would be Pluckers, Chuys, and Tacodeli. Pluckers was founded in 1991, when a couple UT students(Greenberg and Paul) were hungry for wings, but there weren’t many wing bars in Austin. Paul used totp work at an Atlanta wing restaurant, so he knew what makes good sauce. When the two opened up their restaurant in Austin, it was an instant hit as there were very few other places to go for wings in Austin. “We are known for our bone-in chicken wings” stated Josh, a pluckers manager. The bonein chicken wings became the restaurant’s most popular dish. The restaurant also has a very different atmosphere than other restaurants in austin.” Pluckers is a place to come hang out, watch sports and have a great time while dining in.” The friendly atmosphere of Pluckers makes it so that many sports fans can enjoy watching their favorite sports while eating the American food that they desire. Something new that Pluckers brought to Austin would be Wings. Austin hadn’t seen any large wings restaurants until Pluckers. Pluckers stayed afloat during covid due to their loyal customers and new techniques of serving food. Pluckers started serving curbside where cars could park to get their food delivered to their window. Since Pluckers was the first restaurant that many would think of when they thought of wings, many chose pluckers as their go to restaurant.

“So in 1982, our owners, John Zapp and Mike Young opened up Chuy’s with the idea that it was going to be very similar to what they grew up with, with food in the valley.” said Ethan, Chuy’s manager. The idea that the pair had was to make a restaurant that served food that their family used to make. One owner came from New

Mexico and the other from a valley called Brownsville. The two already made two restaurants, and Chuy’s would be their third. So they bought an old gas station on Barton Springs and changed it to Chuy’s. It was a small nacho bar that grew in popularity when it offered a happy hour with free queso. Chuy’s eclectic art also added to many wanting to come back for the unique atmosphere presented there. Every Chuy’s has a dedicated Elvis shrine as well as many fishes that are made in Mexico by the same family. Every time Chuy’s opens a restaurant they order decorations from the same family in Mexico due to the family’s loyalty to the restaurant. Chuy’s shaped Austin in many ways. They were the first restaurant that introduced Tex-Mex in Austin. They were also the ones that brought green-chile fest to Austin. Chuy’s works with many farmers in Mexico every year to bring in fresh green chiles. The season when the green chilis are fresh is known as the Green Chile Fest. Chuy’s then freezes the chilis to keep them fresh year round. “You know, we work with the police department, the fire departments, area schools to be able to put on the parade every year. And it’s for Operation Blue Santa, which is just providing children that don’t have Christmas gifts…” said Ethan. Chuy’s helps many children in Austin by donating and providing them with gifts and working with places in Austin to host Blue Santa. How Chuy’s stayed

“In 1982, our owners, John and Mike opened up Chuy’s with the idea that popular throughout covid wasn’t truly known to anyone, as they did nothing different. Ethan, chuy’s it was going to be very similar to what manager, believes that it was due they grew up with, with food in the valley” to the customers’ loyalty as well as them staying open no matter what. Chuy’s was the only restaurant that remained open through the snow. This touched many customers’ hearts as Chuy’s decided to stay open through that condition only because many ran out of food and they wanted to provide for people that were not able to get food from the stores. TacoDeli, founded in 1991, was a restaurant that made everything from scratch every day. The founder, Roberto, grew up and was brought up in New Mexico where he fell in love with

Chuy’s restaurant sign

the flavors of taqueria. He later decided to bring his flavors to Austin as he loved the friendly environment here. “The cowboy is a seasoned to perfection tenderloin you would have to try it.” said Shuvelle. The cowboy is the most popular dish of Tacodeli. Its perfect seasoning made it an amazing menu item that customers loved. The restaurant gained popularity because of the homemade/from scratch feeling. The customers also loved the authenticity of the food which made the restaurant take off from there. Tacodeli has a kitchen that allows for smells to pass throughout the restaurant and many large windows that make the restaurant comfortable and open. Tacodeli stayed popular throughout Covid due to their specials and changes to the app. Tacodeli started an app where people could order food from them easily, which made a lot of customers come there, due to the easy ordering. There would also be weekly and monthly specials where if a certain amount you get a Tacodeli gift card. These large restaurant chains have given Austin a name for having many diverse restaurants and different cultures in Austin. to pass throughout the restaurant and many large windows that make the restaurant comfortable and open. Tacodeli stayed popular throughout Covid due to their specials and changes to the app. Tacodeli started an app where people could order food from them easily, which made a lot of customers come there, due to the easy ordering. There would also be weekly and monthly specials where if a certain amount you get a Tacodeli gift card. These large restaurant chains have given Austin a name for having many diverse restaurants and different cultures in Austin. to pass throughout the restaurant and many large windows that make the restaurant comfortable and open. Tacodeli stayed popular throughout Covid due to their specials and changes to the app. Tacodeli started an app where people could order food from them easily, which made a lot of customers come there, due to the easy ordering. There would also be weekly and monthly specials where if a certain amount you get a Tacodeli gift card.

What Food Would Suit You? By Arihanth Nuka

Pluckers was founded in 1991 when Mark Greenberg and Dave Paul were on their way back home and were hungry for wings. However, wing bars were few in Austin at the time. Because Paul used to work at an Atlanta wing restaurant, he knew what makes a terrific sauce. The Silver Spur’s annual Ultimate

Chili Cook-Off put both of their concoctions to the test. They then pooled their resources and borrowed money to build a home on 23rd and Rio Grande.

They ran out of food on opening day, and there are now 26 Pluckers outlets across the United States.

Chuy’swas founded in 1982 by John Zapp and Mike Young in an old abandoned Texas Barbeque restaurant that had seating for around 60 people. The two owners envisioned a funky and lively Tex-Mex restaurant that delivered authentic and fresh food in a welcoming environment. The cuisines of New Mexico, the Rio Grande Valley, Espaola, Deep South Texas, and Austin are all represented on the Chuy’s menu. Chuy’s felt it was time to grow outside of Texas in the late 2000s, and the first location outside of Texas opened in Tennessee in 2009. acodeli was founded in Austin in 1999, but the story starts in Mexico City, where the founder, Roberto Espinosa, grew up and and experienced the flavors of the taqueria. Years later, he combined his taqueria experiences with the vibes of Austin to develop Tacodeli. Tacodeli has 11 locations in Texas and has been in business for almost 20 years. Tacodeli is noted for its high-quality ingredients and extensive taco menu, which includes more than 30 options.