In Austin, two more local East Austin spots announced their closures, just as restaurants were allowed to reopen their dining rooms at 25% capacity on May 1.
The Buzz Mill owner Jason Sabala announced via Facebook on April 23 that the local coffee shop would permanently shut down its location at 5012 E. Seventh St., which opened Oct. 31. The Buzz Mill’s other location at 1505 Town Creek Drive, just off East Riverside Drive, will remain open. Sabala said the decision to close the Seventh and Shady location was made to help “preserve the fort as a whole.”
“While no decision to ever close a portion of your business is ever easy, sometimes we have to take a step back to leap forward into the future,” Sabala wrote.
On May 1, Blue Dahlia Bistro posted on its Instagram account that the original location, which Amy Ramirez opened at 1115 E. 11th St. in July 2007, would not reopen its doors.
“Thank you, Austin, for the 13 years of happy hours, brunches and all the great memories. It was an honor to be part of the East Side community,” reads the post.
While the original location closed, Blue Dahlia Bistro’s other two locations in West Lake Hills and San Marcos operated by Ramirez and her husband, Sam, remain open; each began offering pickup and delivery service May 1. The West Lake Hills location opened in 2012, and the San Marcos location followed in 2017.
