Photo by Brandy Cohen
Photo by JJ Velasquez
Photo by JJ Velasquez
Photo by JJ VelasquezEstablished in 1977, The Showdown holds the distinction of being the among the oldest bars in San Marcos, President and General Manager Eddie Mack Edwards said.
The full-service bar located on Hutchison Street serves draft and bottled beer, wine, cocktails and a recently expanded food menu. The Showdown has long been known for its bloody marys, a vodka drink mixed with tomato juice and other ingredients, but lately the reputation of its hamburgers has gained ground within the community, Edwards said.
"To get a reputation [for our food], that helps," he said. "I'd say in the last six months, it's really starting to catch on as our food grows in popularity."
Edwards said the bar's percentage of food sales went from a "low number to a decent number" with the recent menu additions.
In October 2013, when San Marcos City Council passed a citywide ordinance banning smoking in public places such as restaurants and bars, Edwards' bar, which had once attracted plenty of smoking customers, got a head start on the new regulations.
The possibility of losing a segment of his customers prompted him to branch out, Edwards said.
"We have been concentrating harder on food since this nonsmoking thing went into existence," he said. "We felt like it was our little way of survival."
But customers have responded well to the enforcement of the new smoke-free policy, he said.
"A lot of the people I thought would walk out and never come back are actually telling me that was a good call," he said. "It's a lot better in here without all that smoke."
The effort to expand The Showdown's menu began in earnest about a year ago, he said. In the spring the bar introduced its first official menu, teeming with specialty hamburgers and Tex-Mex-style pub grub.
The Showdown's quarter-pound cheeseburger, which costs $6.95, is its best-selling food item, Edwards said. The cheeseburger is topped with spinach, tomato and red onions and comes served with hash browns or chips on the side.
At $9.95 the Border-War Burger is also among the popular selections. The burger is a carbon copy of The Showdown Burger—a cheeseburger topped with diced jalapenos, tomatoes, red onions and pickles—except instead of toasted buns, the burger is bound by two bacon-and-cheese quesadillas.
Edwards said his bar is the "Cheers" of San Marcos "where everyone knows your name." He said patron loyalty is a primary reason it has been a stalwart in the local bar scene for close to four decades.
The bar's Stein Club has existed since the inception of The Showdown, and a handful of the original members remain, Edwards said. The Stein Club membership is capped at 175, as no space exists on the rack for another mug. Members are afforded drinks at discount prices, and their drinks are served in their own personalized mug. The bar's fanbase spans generations, Edwards said.
"I've got customers in here whose parents were regular customers," he said. "Everybody likes The Showdown so they come here and they come back."
- 207 E. Hutchison St., San Marcos
- 512-392-7282
- www.showdownsanmarcos.com
- Hours: Mon.–Sun. 11 a.m.–2 a.m.
