ALL THAT AND THE KITCHEN SINK

North Austin cooks up massive commercial kitchen and food truck park

Austin’s newest culinary project is serving up a colossal opportunity for local restaurants and food entrepreneurs. Atlanta-based Prep ATX will open a 55,000-square-foot commercial kitchen campus in North Austin in April, creating the largest multifunctional kitchen community in Texas.

Located at 1300 E. Anderson Ln., Prep ATX is furnished with a variety of permit-ready cooking spaces, including 42 private kitchens, 16 shared kitchen stations, and 16 spots for food trucks to operate. The company aims to accommodate a range of food-and-beverage businesses, from startups and food truck operators, caterers and bakers, prepared-meal companies, and manufacturers of consumer packaged goods.

Prep ATX also provides a central commissary area for off-site restaurant owners needing a little more cooking and prep space. Altogether, Prep ATX expects to support more than 200 local food-sector jobs with the facility.

Though Prep ATX hasn’t yet released info on which specific food-and-beverage members have joined the facility, a company rep confirms it has pre-sold 50 percent of its memberships across the building.

“Our current members are a really great mix of local catering companies, bakers, CPG, specialty foods, and food trucks,” says Drew Barrett, Prep ATX’s director. “We have some members who are restaurants in need of more space, including some ghost kitchens, and a few national, venture-backed companies. One of Prep’s core values is to support the Austin community, so we are excited to help facilitate expansion and growth.”

The Austin kitchen facility marks Prep’s first location outside of Atlanta, home to its 147,000-square-foot campus — the largest in the Southwest, according to the company. It makes sense Prep, named one of Inc.’s 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in 2020, would chose Austin for its first growth spurt; it’s likely the company can build a similarly robust business here, as the Central Texas hospitality industry continues to mushroom, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prep collaborated with the City of Austin and the Austin Chamber of Commerce on its local expansion, which comes at a time when pandemic-related restrictions and safety concerns have forced many local restaurants and entrepreneurs to get creative in order to simply stay afloat. With the understanding that many Austin food-based businesses are turning to or launching with a ghost-kitchen model, Prep ATX aims to appeal to such entrepreneurs with its central station, a dedicated spot where third-party delivery services can scoop up customer orders. The common lobby area also includes dine-in seating, and a patio offers outdoor dining space. The massive open kitchen also offers space for hosting pop-up events and cooking demos.

“Prep will be a great addition to the Austin region’s food-and-beverage industry, allowing local culinary entrepreneurs access to affordable, permit-ready commercial kitchen space and flexible sizing options as companies grow,” says Charisse Bodisch, the Austin Chamber’s senior vice president of economic development. “Prep will also create many food-and-beverage job opportunities of varying skill levels in the area. We are excited to welcome Prep to Austin as a fantastic addition to the local culinary scene.”

In the hopes of proving there’s no such thing as too many cooks in the kitchen, Prep ATX offers a co-working space for networking, while also providing members with resources such as ongoing training, education, mentorship, procurement, sales opportunities, and access to capital that can help optimize their businesses.

“Building on what we have been able to do in Atlanta,” says Prep CEO Mitch Jaffe, “we’re looking forward to utilizing Prep’s infrastructure and resources to help accelerate groups building new businesses and scaling existing companies in the region, further solidifying Austin as one of the best places in the country to build culinary ventures.”

Prep ATX is opening a massive shared-kitchen facility in North Austin.

Courtesy of Prep ATX.

Prep ATX is opening a massive shared-kitchen facility in North Austin.

Omakase for Everyone

New South Austin restaurant swims against current of expensive omakase

Photo courtesy of Tancho Sushi

Tancho Sushi keeps things simple.

Austin had no shortage of beautiful sushi restaurants, but a new one at Lantana Place is doing drawing the trend away from the center of the city and sticking a lower price tag on the experience. Tancho Sushi, offering "everyday omakase," is now open at 7415 Southwest Parkway.

The thought of casual omakase feels like a bit of an oxymoron in Austin, where the service style — which tasks the chef with choosing what the diner will eat — is almost synonymous with something fancy and expensive. Factor in the interior design at Tancho, which certainly doesn't look pedestrian, and it's hard to believe it's actually an everyday meal.

But all things considered, these prices seem reasonable: $29 for the lightest dinner option, and capping out at a $59 feast. Lunch is even less expensive, starting at $24.

Tancho Sushi interior The airy space takes advantage of its surroundings outside of the city.Photo courtesy of Tancho Sushi

In some omakase experiences, the chef might factor in a diner's taste, the special ingredients that are available that day, and any number of other factors to determine what hits the table. But at Tancho, these prix fixe options are predetermined, doubtlessly contributing to the more accessible pricing.

The 50-seat restaurant also uses a clever marketing angle to get diners in who aren't necessarily experienced in sushi, or might otherwise be intimidated by letting a chef choose unfamiliar foods. "With thoughtfully curated preset menus, Tancho simplifies the dining experience by eliminating the guesswork so guests can focus on enjoying their meals," a press release announcing the opening says.

The release was sent November 22, but it looks like Tancho has been serving customers in a soft opening capacity for about a month, based on its Google reviews (which are stunningly high for a new restaurant at 4.7 stars).

Offerings at Tancho are simple.Photo courtesy of Tancho Sushi

Although each menu is different, there is a shared arc. All four experiences start with sunomono salad, a cucumber-based dish with red seaweed and sesame. Then there's tuna sashimi with smoked yuzu ponzu and scallions, and the rest depends on what the diner chooses.

Some standout items across the dinner service are sea bream on the light menu; akami (very red meat along the spine of a tuna) on the standard omakase menu; a lobster open hand roll on the rolls-only menu; and a tuna flight on the grand omakase menu.

No menu item is especially complicated. The focus is on doing each ingredient right, including the temperature the fish is served at and even the flavor of house-made soy sauce and ponzu.

“We keep the focus on the ingredients,” said co-founder Brad Van Otterloo in the release. “By stripping away unnecessary flourishes, we allow the quality of our fish to take center stage. This is a Texas-born concept through and through, and we’re proud to contribute to Austin’s growing sushi reputation.”

The open hand rolls are a signature for the restaurant.Photo courtesy of Tancho Sushi

Despite all this talk of omakase, it is possible to order à la carte items: some appetizers, nigiri (sliced fish on top of rice), and rolls. There's also a carefully curated beverage program, which largely focuses on sake. That includes the Kubota Manju or “Ten Thousand Celebrations" ($79), renowned in Japan for its complex layers and smooth mouthfeel.

“As Austin continues to grow, we wanted to introduce a fresh take on the sushi experience,” said Van Otterloo. “We’re here to make sushi approachable for Austinites while honoring the integrity of this cuisine. It’s about creating a space where everyone can discover and enjoy sushi at their own pace – no pressure, no pretense.”

Tancho Sushi exterior This restaurant is meant to be approachable.Image courtesy of Tancho Sushi

Tancho Sushi is located at 7415 Southwest Parkway, Building 4, Suite 300. It's open daily from 11 am to 10 pm, offering both dine-in and takeout. There are no reservations.

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