How it started
Weiser opened The Hive on Old Manchaca Road in October 2017. She was a self-employed graphic designer with two young kids at the time and needed a place to work. As a South Austin resident, she said she saw a need for a public workspace with on-site child care.
She moved the business to its current location at 10542 Menchaca Road, Austin, six months before the pandemic, during which The Hive turned into a drive-up grocery store with items like eggs, bread, milk and toilet paper.
Today, the business is a full-service cafe and bar with an outdoor patio that has an on-site food truck and kids play areas. Throughout The Hive’s evolution, Weiser has always kept families in mind.
“There are places in South Austin that are family-friendly, but we've decided to really go all in and be family-focused,” Weiser said.
The Hive’s spaces include the main cafe seating area, an outdoor area with a stage, covered porch, garden and a fenced-in play area with a two-story playhouse, swings and gravel pit. Weiser said there are private rooms that can be reserved for parties, and she is adding private meeting rooms that groups can rent by the hour.
The Hive’s coffee is locally sourced from Third Coast and Aktion Coffee, and the full bar includes local beers, wine, spirits and specialty cocktails. Breakfast tacos, pastries and sandwiches are available to order in the cafe, and the on-site food truck, Austin Habibi, serves fresh Mediterranean food.
The Hive's new snow cone stand named Honey Cone offers classic flavors like blue raspberry and tiger's blood plus alcoholic snow cones including strawberry rose and Irish whiskey.
The name "The Hive" is a reflection of what Weiser hoped the business would be when she opened: a gathering hub for different people, similar to a bee hive with bees fulfilling various roles.
“It's kind of cool when I come in, and I see a Realtor meeting with potential buyers here, then over here someone's writing a book and someone's knitting, and over here someone's playing with their kids,” she said. “It's a space for everything, and that makes me happy.”
Back then, she did not think it would grow into what it is today, but said seeing people return to The Hive is what keeps her going.
“Seeing regulars everyday that have been here for seven years and seeing their kids grow up, when people I don't know come up and they're like, ‘Thank you for making this place,’ that really fills my bucket and makes me happy," Weiser said.
- 10542 Menchaca Road, Austin
- www.hiveaustin.com
