Uchi developer buys former Trudy's location in Dripping Springs for $4.1 million

The former Trudy's Four Star location in Dripping Springs has a new owner. According to bankruptcy court filings, the property at 13059 Four Star Blvd., Austin, was sold Oct. 28 for $4.1 million.

The 13,000-square-foot restaurant has been closed since 2019, and in early 2020, the local Tex-Mex restaurant chain filed for bankruptcy.

The property's new owner is Central Austin Management Group, which has developed properties from the original Uchi restaurant on South Lamar Boulevard to the Canopy and Springdale General projects in East Austin.

CAMG is owned by Daryl Kunik, who is also the founder of Hai Hospitality—the restaurant group that includes Uchi, Uchiko and Loro. A representative for Hai Hospitality said Kunik has no additional plans for the property to announce.

According to bankruptcy records, the majority of the proceeds from the sale—$3.1 million—will go toward paying off a lien on the property and toward outstanding property taxes. In court filings from January, attorney Stephen Sather of Austin-based firm Barron & Newburger PC wrote that the Dripping Springs location lost more than $1 million per year from its opening in 2011 until it closed in 2019.

Two Trudy's locations remain open in North Austin and South Austin. The original, on West 30th Street, has been closed since November 2019 due to a fire. In July, the North Carolina-based private equity firm Hargett Hunter Capital Management purchased the chain for $6.5 million. www.trudys.com