Dunlap opened eight bars, restaurants or food trucks in Austin within the last seven years, and another project is slated to open in mid-January. While she does not consider herself successful, Dunlap credits her string of good fortune to her own gambler's mentality.
"If I got too deeply into all of this stuff that is required and needed and comes with the process, comes with the work, I don’t know if I would do what I do. It can be overwhelming, but I’m that gambler type." Dunlap said. “I’m gambling with my well-being, with what I have. For some reason, I keep doing it.”
The concepts created by Dunlap were ideas she had in mind for a while, she said. For instance, recently opened Burn Pizza + Bar was in the works for two years, she said. However, she does not claim to be a restauranteur.
“I don’t consider myself a restauranteur, and I don’t feel very successful,” Dunlap said. “What is success? Maybe it’s slowing down enough to appreciate it and acknowledge the hard work that’s gone into it.”
Dunlap said she plans to slow down her production in 2016 to take a break and spend more time off with her family and possibly write a memoir.
“I do want to take a little break,” Dunlap said. “I’ve said it so many times … I want to write a book, a memoir, which is also a lot of hard work. I want to work on something fun like that, but I don’t know. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
Dunlap's success story began when she opened Lustre Pearl on Rainey Street in 2009. She had opened Pearl in Houston, but then moved to Austin where the project was reborn under her alter-ego name, she said. During her time in the industry, she has witnessed Austin transform.
"Everything has changed," Dunlap said. "I think within the past four years everything has changed dramatically. Aside from the traffic, the people, there's not much land anymore in Central Austin. Almost every aspect of what it used to be has changed. I'm not one of the ones who's going to say it's for the worst."
Bridget Dunlap in Lustre Pearl East beneath a sign that reads, "Here, everything is good" in French.[/caption]Much of that change has bled over to East Austin because of low prices and land availability. However, Dunlap said the neighborhood is not happy about the change, but that change has so far been inevitable, she said.
"I don't think you can stop progress. I mean, there were a lot of people angry with me upset with me over Lustre on Rainey, too," Dunlap said. "When you have [thousands of] people coming here a year how can you stop that? How can you stop people from growing and getting into different neighborhoods and what not. You can't stop it. It's too big."
With the challenges of permitting, high costs and finding land, Dunlap said she is very grateful for those who have supported and enjoyed her work.
"I’m very grateful and have a lot of gratitude for the success that I have had. I thank everybody that does like what we’ve done," Dunlap said. "There is no guarantee for success anywhere in anyone's life, no matter how hard you work."
