Texas Restaurants and Bars Might Be Able to Sell To-Go Alcoholic Beverages Beyond the Pandemic

Texas Alcohol-to-Go Forever?
Texas restaurants and bars might be allowed to sell to-go alcohol, beer, and wine forever, even after the pandemic ends, as the Texas Tribune reported. Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted over the weekend that he supported this idea. This permanent change will be proposed by State Representative Tan Parker during next year’s legislative session. The publication also noted that the Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) wants the governor to include sealed mixed drinks in the waiver, which would mean restaurants and bars could be able to mix and seal their own cocktails for to-go and delivery sales. Currently, Texas bars and restaurants can also sell to-go manufacturer-sealed bottles of alcohol that are 375 milliliters or less and all orders must accompany the purchase of a food item.

More Restaurants and Bars Close Temporarily Because of Staffers With COVID-19

• East Austin dive bar The Liberty had a staffer test positive for COVID-19 as of Sunday, June 21 and closed that day. The bar is being deep-cleaned and its staff is being tested.
• Downtown Southern restaurant Fixe found out an employee tested positive on Friday, June 19, and closed that day. The staffer last worked at the restaurant on Monday, June 15. The restaurant is being deep-cleaned and the team is being tested.
• A staffer of Driftwood brewery Vista Brewing tested positive for the virus as of Thursday, June 18. The beer garden closed that day. The brewery noted that the person didn’t interact with customers and last worked on Saturday, June 13. The staff is getting tested and the space will be deep-cleaned.

Statewide Face Mask Requirement Ask
The TRA is also asking Gov. Abbott to issue a statewide mask requirement so that businesses don’t have to be the ones to enforce local face mask requirements. Local counties and cities, including Travis County and Austin, issued their own face masks requirements where businesses are in charge of making sure that employees and customers wear the facial coverings, as of last week.

Chef Shuffle
North Campus gastropub Hopfields has a new executive chef: James Flowers, who had previously been at the Four Seasons and was part of the opening team of Austin Proper restaurants Peacock and La Piscina. The menu will remain mostly the same, but Flowers plans on adding special dishes over the weekend and house-made bread. The restaurant reopened its dining room today, while still offering to-go food. At Four Seasons, he had helmed Trio and the revamped Ciclo, as well as worked at other location restaurants such as Asti, Wink, and Cipollina.

Two Austin Spots Featured in High-End Best New Restaurants List
Austin fine dining restaurants Hestia and Comedor made it onto luxury food publication Robb Report’s list of the best new restaurants of the year. Hestia landed at number one with Comedor at nine.

New Beer Collaboration
Texas sotol distillery Desert Door teamed up with Austin brewery Independence Brewing Co. to create a special beer. The result is the Redbud Paloma, a Berliner Weisse-style kettle sour beer made with grapefruit and aged in sotol barrels. It’s available as of last Friday at the Southeast Austin brewery.

Torchy’s Taco Owner’s Fancy House
Torchy’s Tacos owner Mike Rypka had his Lake Austin home featured in the Wall Street Journal last week. He described his house as “Trump Plaza had a threesome with the Bellagio and a bank.”