After an appearance on the Food Network in 2008, sales patterns at Casino El Camino began to change. The bar’s food sales were beginning to rival its drink sales, said owner Paul Eighmey, also known as Casino El Camino, his stage name during his punk rocker days.
“I opened up a beer joint that sold a few burgers. Now I have a burger joint that sells a few beers,” Eighmey said jokingly.
Food and drinks sales are at a 50-50 split, he said.
Up until the bar’s appearance on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” hosted by Guy Fieri, Casino El Camino’s food had been Sixth Street’s best-kept secret, Eighmey said. But the TV appearance brought national attention to its food offerings, and suddenly the demand rose for Casino El Camino’s now-popular menu items, especially its burgers, he said.
The 3/4-pound, handmade and never-frozen hamburgers never attracted so much attention until Austin became a foodie town, he said. Casino El Camino also offers wings, hot dogs, sandwiches and various sides.
Other than adding a kitchen manager/chef about three years ago, the bar has not changed much. The menu is virtually untouched, although minor additions to it are forthcoming, Eighmey said. A manager at the bar began making a bloody mary with such garnishes as taquitos and pizza. But beyond that, Eighmey maintains an if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it mentality, he said.
Casino El Camino’s menu features six burgers, including The Chicago Burger ($8.75).[/caption]
Casino El Camino’s jukebox contains about 100 albums and is a hallmark of the bar, which opened in 1994. Eighmey moved to Austin from Buffalo in 1990. He said he always wanted to own a bar going back to his days playing bass in his punk band. While on a visit home to Buffalo, Eighmey and his friend and now-business partner, Mark Supples, began discussing the possibility of opening a bar. Supples agreed Austin would be a great fit, and the two opened the bar in September 1994.
The establishment’s 2,800 square feet includes a patio and second level with pool tables.[/caption]
Eighmey said there is a “loyalty factor” among his most frequent patrons, and a few people have even gotten married at his bar. Much of it comes down to staying true to the original concept of Casino El Camino and the growing popularity of the food, he said.
“There was a spell where we were the flavor of the month for about five years, and [filmmakers] Quentin Tarantino and [Robert] Rodriguez would come in and hang out at the back tables,” Eighmey said. “That’s the way bars go. It’s really nice that we’ve been able to transition now that we’re not just known as having a good jukebox and being a hangout joint, but that we have the food.”
