When Elementary first opened in July of 2023, many people were curious about the concept. This "casual fine dining" restaurant, along with its accompanying bar called Hopscotch, promised to bring Austinites a mix of whimsy and elegance. It was to be a "love letter to your inner child" where diners were encouraged to experiment, create, and be unabashedly themselves.
It did achieve these things in some measure, but just after celebrating its one-year anniversary, owners Allan Bautista, Chris Arial, and Colter Peck have closed the Elementary doors for good. They announced the closure in a somewhat-delirious Instagram video Saturday, August 10.
In the days leading up to its closure, Elementary went out with a bang, offering guests a discount for dressing up in costumes to celebrate themed days during "Spirit Week." (Just like back in school.) On Thursday, it was "Punk Day," on Friday, "Holi-Day," and on Saturday, it was "Prom Night." It was a suitable theme for the restaurant's last night open, even though patrons didn't know it was a last hurrah when Spirit Week was first announced.
"Multiple factors helped management come to this decision," a restaurant spokesperson says. "The typically slower summer season in Austin was exacerbated this year, significantly impacting our business as well as restaurants across the city."
But that's not all. Rather than blaming the market entirely, the team is considering how the concept itself could benefit from an overhaul.
"In response to valuable customer feedback, our team made substantial changes to the concept, menu, pricing, and service style over the past year," they say. "Continuing to analyze trends in sales data and customer experience surveys, we decided it would be best to close down Elementary and use our resources to reinvent the space and concept as a whole to best suit the Austin restaurant culture."
Elementary started making a name for itself as a pop-up, and ultimately served dishes made from local ingredients with global influences in the categories of "Intros, Market, Sea, Pasta, and Protein."
The connection to elementary school and childlike wonder may have been a bit unclear from the start, and the aesthetic theme not exactly consistent with the menu — nevertheless, in the year since its opening, the food spoke for itself.
A line could be drawn from early grade school to Elementary's dressed up French toast and cereal-infused cocktails — but it was still a bit of a leap for many diners.
Photo courtesy of Elementary
Chef Colter Peck brought rich dishes like scallop crudo, smashed potatoes, peaches and cream, gnocchi, the Elementary burger, and even a Wagyu Flat Iron. Though the menu's motif was all over the map, it was certainly delicious. In fact, in the recent CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, staff and past winners selected Chef Colter Peck as a Chef of the Year nominee for his dishes at Elementary.
Though the news may be sad, the surprise is also mitigated by the tumultuous history of 2026 South Lamar Boulevard. In a casual pocket of restaurants and bars near Oltorf, concepts in this particular building have been notoriously hard to make stick.
Before Elementary opened its doors, 8-Bit Pizza occupied the space for one year; Before that it was Brooklyn Pie Co. (2019), and before that, it was Henri’s Cheese and Wine (2012). The space was vacant for years following Henri's 2016 closure after a fire. Still, longevity is possible in the same parking lot, which has housed both El Mesón Tequileria and the Golden Goose since 2010 and 2015, respectively.
The good news is, Elementary’s next door bar, Hopscotch, will remain open, and some of the dishes from the restaurant will still be served there. The team also has plans to host some pop-ups in the near future, such as an event with the Sober Supper Club on August 25.
Whatever Chef Colter Peck does next, his reputation so far bodes well for more great food, hopefully with a more targeted business strategy. Having aligned himself with farmers markets even past his pop-up days, it seems that fresh ingredients will always be in the picture.
For more information about the restaurant and team, visit elementaryatx.com.
