“We serve great food in a friendly environment,” owner Scott Feller said. “You’re going to walk away feeling good.”
Scott Feller and his wife, Stacie, opened Hippo Cafe in February about three weeks after former tenant Hit the Spot Cafe closed. The pair also own local roofing and air conditioning businesses Kanga Roof and Koala Cooling, but Hippo Cafe is their first venture into the restaurant industry.
“It was an accident, actually,” Scott Feller said. “Our daughter worked at the restaurant that was here before us. She came home one day and said, ‘Hey, guys, I think you need to buy this restaurant. I think it’s going to go out of business, and I don’t want to lose my job.’”
The Fellers, who said they employ around 30 people at Hippo Cafe, jumped at the chance to continue to provide employment opportunities for their community.
“While we’re not restaurant people, we are good-business people,” Stacie said.
The diner is both a community fixture and a family-run business. Their daughter, Hanna, still works at the cafe. Stacie said her dad, “Pop,” chips in, too, running the books.
Hanna, Pop and Scott Feller have earned places on the menu for their favorite dishes: the “Hanna-chilada”—choice of beef or cheese enchiladas; Pop’s eggs—two eggs soft-scrambled with queso and a choice of bacon or sausage; and Scott’s omelet—an omelet filled with carne guisada, topped with queso and served with refried beans.
For the Fellers, providing tasty food in a welcoming environment is a way to give back to the town they call home.
“Hutto has just been great to us,” Stacie said. “This has become our home, and we like to give back in any way we can.”
Hippo Cafe
109 E. Front St., Hutto | 512-759-3729 | www.hippocafe.com
Hours: Mon. 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Tue.-Wed. 7 a.m.-3 p.m., Thu.-Sun. 7 a.m.-9 p.m.
