Downtown Austin Gets Another Fast Casual Restaurant Chain

Newk’s Eatery, the Mississippi-based fast casual chain, is coming to downtown Austin for its second location. It takes over nightclub Avenue on Congress on 408 Congress Avenue. According to the permit, the inside space is being demo'ed.

Newk’s will bring its chicken salad, macaroni and cheese made with pimiento and bacon, 10-inch pizza pies, cakes, and much more. There will be to-go options, as well as a diet-friendly 600 calorie menu. Booze will be offered in the form of beer and wine, plus non-alcoholic drinks like iced tea, coffee, bottled water, and others.

There is an Austin Newk’s already, up in the Arboretum, which opened in 2010.The Austin franchisees, Colby Kaminer and Todd Jackson, have plans to open four more locations.

Right now, there are over 100 Newk’s already scattered across the country in 14 states, including Georgia, Florida, and Texas (Houston, San Marcos, New Braunfels), with 13 more on the way.

All of Newk’s food is created using recipes from founders’ Don Newcomb, Debra Bryson, and Chris Newcomb family archives. The group opened the first Newk’s in Jackson, Mississippi back in 2004, after founding the sandwich chain McAlister’s Deli before that.

Similarly, Modern Market, another health-focused fast-casual restaurant chain, is opening right across the street within the Frost Bank building. Modern also opened its first Austin location in the Arboretum over the summer. Just around the corner is P. Terry’s only non-drive-thru spot, too.

• Newk’s Eatery [Official]
• Newk’s to Expand Austin Presence to Six Eateries By End of 2019 [Official]