Four years after public outcry nixed a proposal to allow alcohol sales at Zilker Café, City Council now appears willing, if not eager, to permit the use.
At Tuesday’s work session, Council members questioned whether the vendor up for approval at Thursday’s meeting could generate sufficient revenue without beer and wine sales, which the city prohibited in its request for proposals.
Several Council members suggested that reopening the solicitation process – this time allowing alcohol sales – might serve to attract local vendors. Legacy Hospitality and Entertainment Group LLC, an out-of-state entity, was the only firm to submit a bid.
At the end of Tuesday’s discussion, City Manager T.C. Broadnax advised he would consult with staff on next steps. The item was later withdrawn from the agenda, according to a message board post from the mayor’s office.
In the longer term, Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo offered that the Council could reconsider how the city handles some of its concession agreements, perhaps treating them as real estate transactions or lease agreements, like the one Council approved for the Central Library with a local vendor. Such real estate transactions allow more flexibility and attract local businesses to compete for the space, Van Eenoo said.
Finding a concessionaire to operate the long-vacant Zilker Cafe has been an arduous process. Four years ago, the plan to sell beer and wine touched off a local firestorm because the café is located just steps away from the Barton Springs Pool entrance.
Longtime swimmers and parents of young children spoke in opposition at public meetings; an online petition quickly populated with names of opponents; and lifeguards and pool staff spoke of the difficulty of managing intoxicated patrons and keeping alcohol out of the pool. The Parks Board ultimately rejected the proposed vendor, a local entity, and the Planning Commission denied the required conditional use permit for alcohol sales, effectively killing the proposal.
Council Member Chito Vela expressed frustration that the debate over alcohol sales at Zilker Café remains unresolved. “This idea that… there’s no drinking at Barton Springs – I mean there’s plenty of drinking at Barton Springs, let’s all be honest,” he said, adding that alcohol sales are often the lifeblood of restaurants. “Anybody that’s been in the restaurant business realizes what a large proportion of revenues and profit comes from alcohol sales.”
Vela added that with alcohol sold at other venues and events like the Austin City Limits festival at Zilker, “Austin crowds are generally pretty responsible about these kinds of things.”
Council Member Paige Ellis said she would prefer to see a local vendor operating of the café. “I’m very interested in making sure that folks that visit Barton Springs and swim in the pool and have their kids play on the playground are getting to interact with Austin products … rather than having a national company that might be supplying national brands,” she said.
In June, the Parks and Recreation Board also struggled with the idea of a national vendor operating the café, but after lengthy debate voted 6-1 to recommend approval.
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