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Austin's restaurants have had a tough year. With COVID-19 cases on the rise, hospitals nearing capacity and Stage 5 COVID-19 risk-based guidelines in effect, some Austin eateries have taken it upon themselves to put "flattening the curve" on the menu.
After a year of strife and strain on the food industry, the latest Stage 5 recommendations have put extra strain on restaurant owners, leaving them between a rock and a hard place. Since the guidelines are just recommendations, not orders, owners are left with the choice to stay open and risk infection or close and lose money.
The guidelines recommend shuttering dine-in services, limiting outdoor dining to 50% and closing down at 10:30 p.m.
Although the guidelines just went into effect on Wednesday, these restaurants have already voluntarily closed their dining rooms.
P. Terry's
P. Terry's announced on Saturday that it would close dining rooms at all burger stands and Taco Ranch locations effective immediately, though drive-thru and delivery will still be open.
DrinkWell
DrinkWell, located at 207 E. 53rd St., closed its dine-in services on Wednesday, the same day Austin moved into Stage 5, though pickup and curbside options are still available.
"We are closing dine-in services voluntarily as a way to do our part to support our community in lowering the impact of COVID-19 for our guests and the staff here at DrinkWell," the restaurant said on Instagram.
Old Thousand
Old Thousand, located at 1000 E. 11th St., made the decision to close Sunday but remains open for takeout. Its second location, at 4805 Burnet Road, was not mentioned in the temporary closure.
Eldorado Cafe
Eldorado Cafe, located at 3300 W. Anderson Lane, is one of the rare restaurants that has had their dining room closed through the entirety of the pandemic. Now is no different, as the restaurant plans to reopen indoor dining in 2021.
L'Oca d'Oro
Likewise, L'Oca d'Oro, located at 1900 Simond Avenue, has kept customers from dining in for months, trying to adapt to the pandemic in other ways, like starting a subscription service.
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First score made by LAFC. (Sonia Garcia/Austonia)
Austin FC couldn't find the stamina to fight off a 2-0 loss against LAFC for their inaugural match on Saturday.
The match, which saw No. 21 Austin FC go head-to-head with No. 2 LAFC in Los Angeles, was broadcast nationally on FOX and FOX Deportes.
Salute the support. 👏
It's only the beginning for @AustinFC. pic.twitter.com/TduorqYr2y
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 18, 2021
Eleven players took the stage as Austin FC players for the first time, with five starters making their MLS debut. "Ringleader" Alex Ring took the captain's armband and wore it well. The defensive midfielder could be seen leading his teammates through their first ever match, but it wasn't enough to stage an Austin takeover in LA.
In the signature style of Head Coach Josh Wolff, the team played with quickness and intensity, nearly connecting on several fast breaks. It was harder for them to stay in front, however, something that Wolff credits with quick decision making and a tough LAFC defense.
"We have a quick attacking team, but I think when you make quick attacks and it fizzles it's just about some decision making," Wolff said. "Are we in position to finish attacks? If not, can we reestablish our attack and get stuff better?"
The club was given some generous breaks from No. 2 LAFC, who had one or both of their star DPs out for the half. While forward Diego Rossi is out for the entire match due to a hamstring injury, Carlos Vela was accidentally pulled too soon on what turned out to be a miscommunication.
"He gave us the sign that he needed to come off," LAFC Head Coach Bob Bradley said on broadcast. "I can't say more than maybe it's my fault."
LA pulled some dramatics and slowly gained more possession throughout the half, but ATXFC's defense wasn't initially as shaky as it seemed in preseason. Jhohan Romana has pulled his weight in getting the ball out of goal, and a 34-year old Matt Besler held his own in center back.
As the second half commenced, however, it became clear that LAFC had the advantage over Austin's first major league team.
Goalkeeper Brad Stuver had his work cut out for him, fending off 24 shot attempts, 11 of which were on goal. He didn't have much time to prepare, either: in the first 30 seconds of play, Stuver had already made a save to keep the match 0-0.
LAFC finally connected in the 61st minute of play as Corey Baird shot one into the bottom right corner. The team capitalized off their momentum and put one past Stuver a second time, drawing roars of approval from the LAFC crowd.
While some last-minute attempts from Jon Gallagher and others were made, Austin FC didn't have the endurance to bring a tie. After seven additional minutes of stoppage time, the club lost their first match 2-0.
While the scoreboard tells one story, Wolff said that the team did well considering the skill of LAFC and the pressure of their club debut.
"We've got to be realistic," Wolff said. "This is the first time this organization has been in front of TV with an opportunity to show itself and I think there were some promising moments. And we're going to maximize those and continue to try to develop those, but there's lots to build on."
The team may have lost, but it still won the support of thousands of Verde fans, dozens of which made it to watch their team's first match. When Stuver and the team made it to bthe stadium, Los Verdes fans were already there to show support, and Stuver said his wife saw the same back in Austin.
"The moment that we pulled into the stadium, we saw Black and Verde fans cheering us on as we got to the stadium," Stuver said. "During warm up, you can just look around and see different groups sitting in different sections of the stadium and it's just truly amazing to see the support in our first game. We know that we want to give the fans everything, because this we play for the city and we play for them."
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