In the red
Austin comfort food restaurant closes 2 area locations as tastes change
As the Capital City’s tastes continue to shift from casual comfort food joints to trendy all-day cafes, another iconic Austin brand is downsizing. An employee of Red’s Porch has confirmed that August 10 will be the last day of service for the outpost at 4200 W. Braker Ln.
“We’re sad to say that Red’s Porch Quarry, our Braker Lane location, will have our last service on August 10th,” the restaurant said in a Facebook post. “We appreciate all the love and support that this neighborhood has shown us and regret that we couldn’t stay longer.”
The shutter marks a turbulent couple of months for the locally owned mini chain. Though she did not have the exact date, the employee said that the Round Rock location closed a “couple of months ago.” Yelp reports indicate an early June timeline.
North by North Restaurant & Brewery founder Davis Tucker debuted the original Red’s Porch on South Lamar Boulevard in 2010. The combination of upscale bar food, craft beer, and Greenbelt views made it an instant success.
The Quarry location opened in June 2017, followed by the Round Rock eatery in January 2018.
During the coinciding years, the Austin dining public increasingly began to embrace a different sort of eating. Preceded by early pioneer Launderette, a new style of neighborhood restaurant offering craft cocktails and lighter fare began popping up, places like Hank’s, June’s All Day, and Better Half Cocktails & Coffee.
Like Red's, many similarly minded eateries have folded in the last couple of years. Opal Divine’s closed its last standalone location in April. Blaming “boomtown taxes,” Eddie Wilson shuttered the iconic Riverside Drive Threadgill’s in November 2018.
Tucker also suffered a recent restaurant loss, tapping out of the Slaughter Lane location of North by Northwest in February.
Fans of Red’s Porch will be happy to know that the South Lamar store will continue to serve Tex-Mex, chicken fried steak, and pub grub as usual.
