North Austin News

The Hyde Park Bar and Grill had been a popular eatery in Austin since it was launched in 1982 but since COVID-19 hit in March 2020 and with it the economic shutdown, the owners, Erika and Bick Brown, had to lay off 80 percent of the staff.

“They were having to feed the workers who had been terminated,” said Mike Coffin, an advertising executive. “Everybody was suffering. The only solution to survive was to be able to increase takeout orders.”

The Hyde Park Bar and Grill wasn’t the only restaurant struggling to survive. Threadgill’s and Shady Grove restaurants closed.

“I love to eat out perhaps a little too much but I also have friends in the restaurant business, and I believe deeply that restaurants are part of our social fabric,” Coffin told Austin News. “If Austin’s local restaurants go away, it’s a gut punch. They are part of our local identity and we need to help them keep their lights on.”

Coffin and his colleague John Heal, an attorney, decided to stand by their local food establishments with what started out as a banner stating Come And Take Out, which is positioned at the storefront of each participating restaurant at no cost.

“Until we're back in our restaurants and enjoying meals together without fear of COVID-19, we've got to figure out a way to help these restaurants survive and we are ramping up the sense of urgency just by encouraging people to take out their meals two or three times a week,” said Coffin in an interview.

On June 26, Gov. Greg Abbott shut down bars again due to a recent coronavirus surge. Nearly 160,000 cases were reported statewide as of June 30, and 2,424 deaths, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. In Austin, 8,969 cases were reported compared to 30,729 in Houston and 20,737 in Dallas.

“Things are getting even more desperate for restaurants,” Coffin said

While in-restaurant dining is allowed up to 50 percent capacity statewide, Come And Take Out only promotes takeout dining.

"For the foreseeable future, takeout will remain restaurants’ primary lifeline," Coffin said.

More than 100 restaurants have agreed to allow their logo and likeness to be used on Come And Take Out marketing materials that encourage locals to order breakfast, lunch or dinner to go. They include FoodHeads, Home Slice Pizza, Hopdoddy, Irene’s, Joann’s, Justine's, Lucy’s Fried Chicken and Quality Seafood.

“There's no obligation and there’s no fee,” Coffin said. “It's not a competitive situation, either. Come And Take Out is an industry-wide promotion in partnership with the Texas Restaurant Association and we hope to roll out the campaign statewide. Given the urgency of the crisis and limitations of budget, we haven’t had the time or money to measure impact yet.”

The banner messaging idea has progressed to include a website, yard signage, a radio announcement and a brand film, which was produced pro bono by Fighting Monk.

“We jumped off a tall building and built the wings on the way down,” Coffin said. “In five weeks we had a website, a video posted and a social media campaign in the middle of a global pandemic and with a budget of zero, which speaks to how compelling the story is, how deeply people feel about restaurants and how important they are to, not just our economy but our sense of self and culture. We've got to keep it alive.” 

The ultimate take away is more takeout dining, according to Coffin.

“Come And Take Out is a nod to the famous Come And Take It banner from the Battle of Gonzales in 1835,” he said. “When the Mexican army demanded the surrender of a small cannon from the people of Gonzales, the Texans created the banner to send a clear message: ‘We will not surrender.’ Our banner sends the same message.”