Austin has seen many of its favorite restaurants close down over the years, with rising rent, shifting tastes, and the COVID-19 pandemic all playing a role. All across the city, from Sala & Betty to Magnolia Cafe to Flipnotics, restaurants have downsized or shuttered for good.
The latter, Flipnotics, was celebrated as one of the oldest coffee shops in Austin. Beyond the coffee, the cafe was known for its intimate shows that held just a few dozen people. It was a unique environment with nightly live music, but after filing for bankruptcy in 2009 and rent increases in the years following, the store couldn’t keep up and closed for good in March 2014.
Magnolia Cafe is a beloved breakfast spot and Austin classic. Their original location, then known as the Omelettry West, opened in 1979 on Lake Austin Boulevard and thrived until the COVID-19 outbreak. The restaurant’s all-day breakfast menu with famous pancakes and migas lives on at their Congress Avenue location, which opened in 1988.
Sala & Betty was a casual American restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating that opened on Airport Boulevard in 2015. They were known for burgers, sandwiches, meatloaf, and bread pudding, along with a wide variety of vegetarian options. The restaurant’s owner, Teresa Williams, decided to retire and close Sala & Betty in August 2022.
LASA freshman Esther Harelson was very disappointed when she discovered some of her treasured places had to close.
“[My favorite spot] was probably Flipnotics,” Harelson said. “Going to the coffee shop with my aunt after my piano lessons was very special. I asked my mom to go there one time during COVID and the building was empty. I was really sad, but then there was another coffee shop across the street so I decided to go there instead even though it wasn’t as good, but that one was closed too.”
LASA freshman Ava Li tried her best to help prevent other businesses from closing in the hard times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her family ordered delivery from local restaurants in lockdown, but after the restrictions let up, the struggles weren’t over. Though not strictly related to COVID-19, Li’s favorite restaurant, Sala & Betty, closed during the pandemic.
“I really liked getting a sweet treat from there, they had a lot of options and dishes on the menu to pick from,” Li said. “I would go there with my sister, Tracy, and it was a great place to spend time together.”