How to Pitch Stories to Eater Austin

Eater Austin is a local news site based in Austin, reporting on restaurants and bars, chefs, dining and dining trends, food pop-ups and food trucks, and the business of restaurants throughout Austin, as well as San Antonio and Central Texas. It is part of the Eater network and under the Vox Media umbrella.

Eater Austin accepts pitches from freelance writers, journalists, and people who really care about Austin’s restaurant and food scene on the following:

• Breaking news not already on Eater Austin’s radar
• Dining maps, guides, and food crawls
• Reported features on local restaurants, chefs, food trends, etc.
• Photography and illustrated stories featuring local restaurants and dining.

Eater Austin is especially looking for stories that haven’t been told elsewhere.

The site does not accept pitches regarding recipes, food holidays, grocery products, or conduct restaurant reviews. While Eater Austin does occasionally accept local restaurant and dining-driven opinion pieces and personal narratives, those pitches must come with a strong writing voice, clear conclusions based in fact or with solid evidence, personal experience, and a reason to exist on Eater Austin.

All pitches should include a subject matter with a clear angle along with how the story will be structured, what the story hopes to conclude, and why the story is relevant to the dining scene in Austin/San Antonio/Central Texas and to Eater Austin readers. The site typically follows AP (Associated Press) style guidelines. Please make sure the story doesn’t already exist on the site, too.

When submitting a pitch, please provide a short summary of who you are, your background, and why you are particularly qualified to write the story, as well as any previous relevant work via links or an online portfolio.

Here are a few examples of what Eater Austin covers:

News Stories

• Mexican Restaurant Gabriela’s Is Opening a New Taqueria in Downtown Austin
• Classic Austin Restaurant Hut’s Hamburgers Is Closing
• Austin Wine Director Allegedly Sexually Assaulted a Co-Worker in Chicago
• That Pokémon Pop-Up Bar Isn’t Coming to Austin Anymore
• The Lou’s Bodega Controversy, Explained

Maps/Guides/Food Crawls

• How to Eat Your Way Through Lockhart, the Barbecue Capital of Texas
• 21 Splendid Date Night Destinations in Austin
• The Ultimate Guide to Dim Sum in Austin
• Where to Eat and Drink in Downtown Austin
• How to Day Drink Properly in Austin

Reported Features

• A Slightly Macabre Guide to the ‘Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ Restaurants in the Lone Star State
• The 17 Tex-Mex Dishes Every Self-Respecting Austinite Should Know
• Meet the Family Behind One of Austin’s Longest-Running Tex-Mex Restaurants
• Peruvian Cuisine Is Growing in Austin — With the Help of Texan Ingredients
• Taste of Black Austin Highlights the City’s African-American Chefs

Send pitches and links to previous work or portfolio to Eater Austin editor Nadia Chaudhury at nadia@eater.com or to austin@eater.com. Please put the word “Pitch for Eater Austin” in the email subject line with a very brief description of the story. Tips are also always welcomed, if you have leads/ideas for stories but don’t want to write ’em. And for especially sensitive information, there are several ways to reach out detailed here.

Please, this is not a call for PR and marketing pitches.

Note: Eater Austin receives several pitches a week, and does try to respond to each. However, if we do not respond within a month, please resubmit.