Bikinis Takeover
Scoot Inn purchased by Bikinis breastaurant chain owner Doug Guller
The old Scoot Inn
ATX Brands Owner and CEO Doug Guller
The Scoot Inn interior.
Good news for lovers of the down and dirty Scoot Inn. It's opening back up again, thanks to the philanthropic actions of Austin's newest downtown developer, Doug Guller of Bikinis Restaurant fame.
Guller, whose company ATX Brands owns Bikinis, Pelon's and The Parish, announced Friday that he is now expanding his reach across IH-35 to save the historic Scoot Inn. He completed paperwork this week and will have the venue up and running by November, with music scheduled as soon as the doors open back up.
“Once I learned that the venue may no longer book live music, I had to step in and keep the tradition alive," Guller said in a press release. "We are thrilled that live music can now continue at this storied venue.”
When bar owners Kevin Crutchfield and James Stockbauer announced they were shutting down the East Side bar earlier this year, fans of the track-side saloon's unconventional space and themed parties were understandably disheartened. Speculation circulated that the owners of Casino El Camino would take over the venue, which did not come to fruition.
"Red's" Scoot Inn has nearly a century and a half of history in Austin, opening its doors in 1871 to railway workers and locals. Since then, it has undergone several sets of owners, overcome a pretty seedy reputation, and enjoyed a recent spike in popularity with the urban sprawl eastward and the annual occupation of the area during SXSW.
So far, the Sixth Street charm of Bikinis has not influenced the attitude or feel of Pelon's or 508, so we're hoping the Scoot Inn can maintain the rebellious, gritty feel that has drawn customers and music lovers to its backyard all these years.
Either way, the music will continue and the one-of-a-kind venue will be open again for SXSW, so there will be plenty of reasons to celebrate come November.
