Back to the drawing board
Austin Ethiopian restaurant closing on South Congress after 12 years
The owners of Taste of Ethiopia say costs have risen dramatically over the past few years.
After 12 years of serving Ethiopian food and culture on South Congress Avenue, Taste of Ethiopia is preparing to close its South Austin restaurant.
Owners Woinee Mariam and Solomon Hailu said the restaurant’s lease expires on September 30, and they have decided not to renew it, citing the rising cost of operating a business in the area.
“More money to pay for the employees, more money for the groceries, more money for everything you do. It's like four times or three times more than what we used to pay four or five years ago. So it's because of that. Everything is expensive in this area,” Mariam said.
“South Congress has become very expensive. And we just – it's beyond our means,” Hailu added.
The closure marks the end of more than a decade for the restaurant on South Congress, but not the end of Taste of Ethiopia. The couple’s original Pflugerville restaurant will remain open, and they are already looking for another location in Austin.
12 years on South Congress
Mariam and Hailu first opened Taste of Ethiopia in Pflugerville, but Hailu said demand from customers eventually convinced them to expand south.
“A lot of customers do come all the way to Pflugerville, but they always asked, ‘Hey, why don't you open up a second one in south, you know, south of here?’ And we looked into it. So we found this place, and we opened up this South Congress location 12 years ago,” Hailu said.
For Mariam, owning a restaurant was something she had wanted to do for years.
“I always wanted to open a restaurant. I figured that maybe that's a sign from God for me to do that," Mariam said.
The couple said the restaurant became a way to share Ethiopian food and culture with the Austin community. Over the years, they also built relationships with generations of customers who celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, and other milestones there.
“Our customers are friends. We treat them like, you know, one of our family members, and that's how they feel. Customers actually have told me that when they come here, they feel at home. They feel they're going to a friend's place, and I'm going to miss that,” Hailu said.
Mariam said some customers who first came to the restaurant years ago are now bringing another generation with them.
“I want to thank them for supporting me all these years, from the beginning," Mariam said. "They come here, they bring their kids, and kids grow up bringing their friends, their college friends, all that. I thank my customers and my employees who have been with me from the beginning and still here with me. Those are the people I want to really thank from the bottom of my heart. ”
Rising costs take a toll
The owners said the cost of doing business has changed significantly in recent years, from food and labor to rent.
“It's really hard, especially nowadays. If you think about it, everything is so expensive. Even so, I'm trying so hard to not to put the price on my customers,” Mariam said. “I’m paying more for everything. You’re paying like three times more, what you’re paying, and having to come up with more money for rent.”
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