Outdoor dining venue attracts work and family crowds

West Lake Hills native Sarah Hannon said she had no idea her West Austin food park would draw crowds of business people for lunch and families for dinner and weekend visits.

"I never imagined people would be parking down [Capital of Texas] Highway in both directions for as far as I could see [to eat at the site]," Hannon said.

Midway Food Park opened Aug. 15 on a 2-acre site at 1905 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., adjacent to West Lake Hills. Hannon, who owns the park along with her husband, Jason, said there are nine food trucks on the property that also has a playground and music venue.

"Any time the sun comes out, the parking lot is filled," Hannon said. "During football season, on Friday nights, we had over 500 people here."

Hannon said she added a fire pit to the park at the end of December, and her vendors plan to sell s'mores kits to guests. Once spring weather begins, the park will host live music, she said.

"My goal for 2014 is to build up a late-night crowd—adult-driven," Hannon said. "By 8:30 p.m. or 9 p.m., everything here shuts down. We're in discussions for more live music and hope to be a SXSW venue [in the coming year]."