SAN ANTONIO – Popular BBQ restaurant Augie’s is closing its Broadway location.
Restaurant owners said four years of construction following COVID has left them no other option.
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Augie’s Alamo City BBQ Steakhouse is located at 909 Broadway, in the thick of road closures and construction projects.
“Since the Summer of 2020, guests have been dodging barricades and bulldozers to get to the restaurant amid obstacles that have made it impossible. The restaurant has been struggling for the past four years due to the significant decrease in business and has been trying to stay afloat post Covid while the city street closures, and construction continues with no true end in sight,” according to a press release from the restaurant owners.
Augie Cortez said they were heartbroken over the decision but stayed open much longer than they should have.
“We have tried everything including speaking to our local officials to let them know about the negative impact the infrastructure has had on small businesses who are forced to endure the losses. We understand that the city is doing everything they can to make things better for the city. We pray that someday they will find a solution to help work with and better support small businesses as they continue to improve the city we love so much,” Cortez said.
“We are not against the new developments and improvements, we want them too, but our small businesses should not be forced to choose between saving their business versus having a new street,” said Julissa Carielo, Co-Founder of Maestro Entrepreneur Center, and DreamOn Group in a press release.
Carielo said she felt like the city could have offered more support for local small businesses, including Augie’s, to keep them in business and help them grow.
Cortez said they would go back to Augie’s Barbed Wire Smokehouse located at 3709 N. St. Mary’s St. near the zoo.
KSAT reached out to City Council District 1 Representative Sukh Kaur’s office as well as the city’s public works department for comment. A spokesperson with the city sent the following statement:
“We understand that construction is inconvenient and that it affects area businesses. The City’s Public Works Department does its best to mitigate this impact by maintaining access to all businesses during construction, allowing two-way traffic whenever possible, communicating often through a variety of channels, and expediting construction as much as possible.
“The City’s Economic Development Department offers support to businesses impacted by construction through a variety of resources and grant programs. This specific business was the recipient of multiple grants. For more information, visit https://www.sa.gov/files/assets/main/v/3/arpa/documents/reports/grant-summary-2020-2023.pdf
“The Lower Broadway project is scheduled for completion this Summer. The current road closures south of 6th Street will reopen this Spring. Once complete, Lower Broadway and the surrounding area will be a better experience for drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and businesses and their customers.
“Communication with the public and stakeholders includes biweekly Lower Broadway stakeholder meetings, in-person visits, and regular updates via web, email, social media, and local media outreach. The City is also using Lower Broadway as the location for its chatbot prototype to communicate about the project and promote local businesses.”
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