If December 2020 was about surviving, January 2021 was about looking forward.

Austin’s restaurant industry entered the new year with plenty of problems.

COVID was still affecting businesses.

Capacity restrictions remained.

Restaurants were still relying heavily on takeout and outdoor dining.

But there was something different about January.

There was optimism.

Restaurants were planning openings.

Chefs were announcing new concepts.

And Austin’s food scene was beginning to look toward what could happen after the pandemic.

The city’s 2021 restaurant pipeline was already filled with new concepts and returning favorites. Restaurant openings and upcoming projects were being tracked closely as Austin prepared for what many hoped would be a major comeback.

That optimism was important.

The previous year had produced an enormous list of closures.

But Austin hadn’t stopped attracting chefs, restaurant groups and entrepreneurs.

The city’s growth hadn’t disappeared.

If anything, the pandemic was changing where and how people wanted to eat.

Outdoor dining became more valuable.

Patios became destinations.

Takeout became normal.

Delivery became an expected part of restaurant service.

And restaurants became increasingly creative about how they used their spaces.

For customers, January was also a month to start discovering what would eventually become the next generation of Austin restaurants.

Some would become major players.

Others would have shorter lives.

But the pipeline itself was a sign that the city’s food culture wasn’t dead.

It was waiting.

January also highlighted the changing relationship between restaurants and technology.

Online ordering had become essential.

Restaurants that once relied on customers calling or walking through the door now needed sophisticated websites, ordering systems and delivery options.

The pandemic accelerated changes that might otherwise have taken years.

A restaurant didn’t simply need a good menu.

It needed a way to sell that menu without requiring customers to sit inside.

That was a major shift for Austin.

The city had built much of its food reputation around social dining.

Breakfast tacos with friends.

Barbecue lines.

Happy hours.

Live music with drinks.

Late-night food.

January 2021 forced restaurants to separate the food from the social experience.

And surprisingly, many succeeded.

The result was a restaurant industry that was becoming more flexible.

Restaurants could serve customers inside.

Outside.

At home.

Through delivery.

Through pickup.

Through pop-ups.

Through ghost kitchens.

Through food trucks.

Austin’s food culture had become more complicated — but also more resilient.

The big question entering 2021 was whether those changes would last.

Nobody knew yet.

But January offered a reason to believe that Austin’s restaurant scene would eventually come roaring back.

The city had too many chefs.

Too many entrepreneurs.

Too many food lovers.

And too much appetite to simply stop.

The pandemic had changed Austin.

But it hadn’t taken away the city’s obsession with food.

And that was exactly why 2021 looked promising.

By November 2020, Austin restaurants had learned something they probably never expected to learn:

How to operate during a pandemic.

That didn’t mean things were easy.

Far from it.

But after months of restrictions, closures, takeout-only periods and constantly changing rules, Austin’s restaurants were becoming experts at adapting.

One of the clearest examples was La Barbecue.

The legendary East Austin barbecue restaurant had built its reputation around long lines, limited availability and an almost ritualistic barbecue experience.

COVID-19 changed that.

Instead of relying on the traditional long-line model, La Barbecue adapted its ordering system and made barbecue more accessible through preorders and other changes.

It was another example of how the pandemic forced Austin businesses to rethink things that had previously been considered part of their identity.

November also brought new food concepts.

Bom Bakeshop entered Austin’s food scene with mochi doughnuts, giving the city a new take on the increasingly popular chewy, gluten-free treat.

A new wine tasting room from C.L. Butaud and Wine for the People was also preparing to open, focusing on Texas-grown and Texas-produced wine.

That was an important reminder that Austin’s food culture wasn’t simply about surviving.

People were still creating.

They were still opening businesses.

They were still experimenting.

Even during a year when opening a restaurant might have seemed completely insane.

November also brought a new kind of restaurant concept: ghost kitchens.

Krispy Rice Sushi arrived as a delivery-focused option, offering sushi items built around crispy rice.

Ghost kitchens became increasingly important during the pandemic because they didn’t depend on traditional dining rooms.

For customers, the experience was simple:

Open the app.

Order food.

Wait for the delivery.

Eat at home.

For restaurants, the model offered another way to reach customers without relying entirely on a physical dining room.

And that was becoming increasingly important as COVID cases continued to rise.

Thanksgiving presented another challenge.

Normally, Austin restaurants would be preparing for large family gatherings, holiday parties and busy dining rooms.

In 2020, many restaurants were instead offering takeout meals, family packages and holiday specials.

The traditional Thanksgiving dinner was becoming something people could pick up and eat at home.

Austin’s food culture had always been heavily connected to social experiences.

The pandemic forced those experiences into people’s living rooms.

Even the way people discovered restaurants changed.

Instead of hearing about a new restaurant because friends had eaten there or because they walked past it downtown, people were finding restaurants through delivery apps, social media and online ordering.

November also demonstrated how vulnerable Austin’s nightlife remained.

The city had a huge population of restaurants and bars that depended on people coming downtown, attending events and staying out late.

Those customers weren’t coming back in the same numbers.

For some businesses, that was an inconvenience.

For others, it was an existential threat.

Yet the restaurant industry continued to demonstrate remarkable creativity.

Barbecue restaurants developed preorder systems.

Restaurants created family meals.

New delivery-only concepts appeared.

Restaurants developed outdoor dining.

Businesses created new holiday packages.

And Austin customers increasingly learned that supporting a restaurant could mean something as simple as ordering dinner.

Looking back, November 2020 was less about a particular restaurant opening or one huge event.

It was about adaptation.

The Austin restaurant industry was learning how to survive under conditions nobody had planned for.

And while many businesses wouldn’t make it through the pandemic, the ones that did helped shape the restaurant culture Austin would have after COVID.

The city was changing.

But the appetite wasn’t going anywhere.

Come see Originator Studios and celebrate the opening of Austin’s first VR Arcade!
Get your virtual swords ready…for this free one night only event, they want you to take a slice at FRUIT NINJA VR!

All ages are welcome to join, and they will have a free Austin East Cider for the adults.
They will be tracking high scores throughout the night. Who knows, you may even take home a prize!

Tomorrow at 6 PM – 10 PM

If you would like information on booking a session at the VR Arcade, please visit http://www.originatorstudios.com/vr-arcade or email them at innfo@originatorstudios.com

Originator VR Arcade
718 Northwestern Ave
Austin, TX 78702