Update, 6:43 p.m.: It was originally reported the expected opening date for Southside Market & Barbeque was March 1, 2019. The correct expected opening date according to developers is April 1, 2019.

Original post: Southside Market & Barbeque, a Central Texas restaurant that opened in the 19th Century, was announced Tuesday as the first confirmed tenant for Hutto’s Co-Op District development.

The announcement was made by City of Hutto officials, the Co-Op District development team and the owners of Southside Market & Barbeque at an unveiling event.

“When we select communities we want to do business in, it’s really just that – we look for communities first. Hutto has a good hometown feel for us,” said Bryan Bracewell, owner of Southside Market & Barbeque.

Bracewell said the restaurant was looking at Hutto as a possible expansion before it was aware of the upcoming Co-Op District, a $210 million mixed-use development on the north side of Hwy. 79, just west of downtown.

“Hutto is a place people want to stop. That speaks to the community,” Bracewell said.

Now, Southside Market & Barbeque is setting its sights to open in the Co-Op District by spring 2019. The restaurant may be just the second building to open in the mixed-use development after the new Hutto City Hall opens this December.

The Co-Op District's lead developer Bob Wunsch announced the expected opening date of the restaurant, to be situated directly in front of the standing Gin at the Co-Op building, for April 1, 2019.

"We've tried to focus on Austin-based companies and family values," Wunsch said. Wunsch went on to say that the development's first concrete portion was poured Tuesday morning.

Southside Market & Barbeque has signed a 20-year deal for its restaurant space at the Co-Op District, according to Hutto City Manager Odis Jones,

William Moon originally opened the Elgin-based Southside Market & Barbeque in 1882, according to Bracewell. Moon began by selling butchered beef and pork door-to-door by a horse-drawn wagon before eventually expanding to selling barbecued meats out of the back of the market in 1886.

Bracewell and his wife, Rachel, are just the seventh owners of Southside Market & Barbeque throughout the years. The couple bought the restaurant from Bryan’s grandparents, who had owned the store since 1968.

In 2014, the Bracewells expanded Southside Market & Barbeque’s operation to add a second location in Bastrop.

The restaurant and market is known for its sausage, according to Bracewell, but Southside Market & Barbeque also sells its brand-name meats in grocery stores such as H-E-B and Walmart.

Southside Market & Barbeque’s daily menu features several types of sausage, brisket, turkey, lamb ribs and more. The restaurant also serves sandwiches, baked potatoes, chicken salad and other sides.

“We make authentic Central Texas barbecue,” Bryan Bracewell said. “It takes high quality meat and a simple dry rub. We use only wood fires to cook our meat and we give them time. It takes patience.”