Restaurant celebrates 18 years of business

Before Northwest Austin business owner Cindy Semler opened her restaurant in 1996, she sold breakfast tacos with her then 8-year-old daughter Tara in neighborhoods surrounding Metric Boulevard and Braker Lane.

"Originally I was a taco lady out of my house for almost three years," Semer said. "This was my neighborhood. I got up every morning and made tacos, put them in my ice chest and would sell them [out of] a basket."

This first venture was so well-received that Semler decided to open Kiefer's Cafe & Catering, located at the corner of Metric Boulevard and Kramer Lane. The cafe originally had three tables, an ice bucket for canned drinks and one register.

Throughout the years Semler and her husband, Bill, have expanded her business to more than 2,500 square feet, including a back room and outdoor patio. She recently bought the entire industrial complex where her cafe is located to ensure Kiefer's remains in its location.

She said the proximity to Austin Community College, The Domain and nearby technology companies allows her business to continue to succeed.

"We're not going anywhere," she said. "I like everything about North Austin."

A travel lover, Semler collects restaurant menus from cities she and Bill visit and often incorporates ideas from them into her restaurant. Throughout the years, she has encouraged customers to mail her postcards, which decorate an entire interior wall of the cafe.

The menu includes breakfast items, hot and cold sandwiches, wraps, salads, burgers and soups. Semler said her breakfast items are Tex-Mex–inspired, including refried beans, hashbrowns and migas. The Build Your Own Breakfast Tacos include ingredient options such as jalapeos, sauteed button mushrooms, bell peppers, spinach, sprouts and cheese.

For lunch, Semler said Kiefer's is known for its chicken salad, which is made daily with roasted chicken and no nuts or grapes. Semler, who has been cooking since age 15, said the recipe for the chicken salad and many other menu items come from her family.

"My mom was a great cook," she said. "I come from a family of eight, and we never had a loaf of store-bought bread in our house ever. My mother baked three days a week."

Blue-plate specials at the cafe can be found on Kiefer's website daily and have included items such as homemade chicken potpie, served with a salad or cup of soup.

Although her business has grown since its opening, she said it is important to keep prices low. Semler said she has only raised the price of her breakfast tacos by 50 cents since 1996.

Kiefer's Cafe and Catering, 2007 Kramer Lane, Ste. 105, 512-719-5550, www.kieferscafecatering.com, Hours: Mon.–Fri. 7 a.m.–3 p.m.