Local Meme for Sale

Austin's famous Chili's at 45th and Lamar lot listed for sale

This Chili's ironically became an Austin icon for how little it stands out.

An Austin meme is at risk as the lot that houses Chili's at 45th and Lamar has been listed for sale. The restaurant at 4420 N. Lamar Blvd. is a local internet icon — so much so that it even has its own Wikipedia page — but the land is now listed by real estate firm CBRE. The neighboring site, which currently houses Starbucks, is also for sale.

The Austin Business Journal (ABJ) dug into this listing early, giving Austinites a better idea of what might be changing. The answer is actually not much: CBRE's Bradley Bailey says things have been going well on the property, so he expects business to stay the same.

"They're such great real estate infill locations and they're such nice real estate that they'll probably stay very similar to what they are right now for a very long time," Bailey told ABJ.

"A very long time" is a reasonable estimate given that this Chili's was constructed in 1999 and seems to be at its strongest ever in the mid-2020s, at least as far as the public consciousness goes. Hopefully for those who are legitimately emotionally invested, this isn't like when parents finally latch onto new slang and it dies.

While it could have been said that there was nothing special about this particular Chili's when the joke started, it's become a self-fulfilling prophecy. As Austinites become more aware of the meme — both Reddit users, where it started, and whoever else has heard it over the years — local institutions have legitimized it by playing along.

April 5, 2024, was officially Chili's at 45th & Lamar Day. And when local apparel brand Tecovas partnered with Chili's on a new line of boots made of red booth material, they announced the collaboration at the 45th and Lamar location.

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COMING ATTRACTIONS

Viral rip-and-dip bagel chain makes deal for first Austin shop

Photo courtesy of PopUp Bagels

PopUp Bagels is coming to San Antonio.

A buzzy Connecticut bakery is setting its sights on a new state. PopUp Bagels, one of TikTok’s favorite obsessions, has signed a deal with local operator Lone Star Bagels to bring at least 12 shops to Texas, including Austin.

Like many Americans, founder Adam Goldberg started baking to fill the long lockdown hours during the COVID-19 pandemic. At first, he gave away the bagels to his friends and family, but word of mouth spread rapidly. He began selling the bagels as a preorder pop-up (get it?) before launching a subscription service.

Soon, the bagels became a viral hit due to their unconventional presentation. PopUp doesn’t make sandwiches, nor does it bother with toasting or slicing. Instead, diners are encouraged to rip the whole bagels and dunk them into a variety of schmears.

The menu itself is fairly simple. PopUp offers only five bagel varieties — plain, everything, salt, poppy seed, and sesame — in bags of three, six, 12, and 30. Schmears include cream cheese, salted butter, and weekly specials like pimento cream cheese and brown sugar cinnamon butter. Guests can also order a container of smoked salmon, though that may be harder to dip.

A release offered no timeline for the Austin expansion, and the company is still in the process of scouting locations. However, it did say that Austinites ready to break bread will have to wait a little longer than Dallas and Houston, which will both get locations in the spring.

“Texas represents a significant opportunity for PopUp Bagels as we continue to scale the brand,” said PopUp Bagels CEO Tory Bartlett. “We’re approaching this growth with the same discipline and focus on quality that have defined PopUp Bagels from the beginning.”

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