Hospitality powerhouse duo Harlan Scott and Cody Taylor recently brought Industry to East Austin, which had their grand opening on October 22.
Industry is located at 1211 E 5th St. Ste 150, Austin, TX, serving an all day menu of “low key healthy” Texas fare including tacos, burgers, hearty salads, and house smoked meats and vegetables in a casual, counter service atmosphere with an expansive bar and Sunday brunch service.
Industry in East Austin boasts an all from-scratch menu full of veggies and house-smoked meats. Menu highlights include Smoked Chicken Tacos made with juicy house-smoked chicken, house hot sauce, purple cabbage, avo-yogurt, cotija, and cilantro served on a corn tortilla; the Industry Bowl with field greens, rice, sweet potatoes, brussels, pepitas, chevre, with a cashew honey vinaigrette; Smoked Beet Reuben with house smoked beets, charred cabbage slaw, swiss, and thousand island dressing served on rye bread. Industry is also known for their Green Chile Queso full of smoked chiles, mushrooms, and cilantro, along with their Industry Burger made with a smoked beef patty, swiss cheese, greens, bacon onion jam, tomato, and dill pickle mayo.
Industry offers weekday drink specials along with a weekday happy hour and happy hour from 3-6 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. – close. Weekday drink specials include: half off margaritas on Mondays, $4 whiskies on Wednesdays, happy hour pricing for ladies all night on Thursdays and $2.50 mimosas on Sundays.
Industry has a massive selection of whiskey and beer, with quality wines on draft, and a curated list of handcrafted cocktails like their Still MarTeani with Still Austin Gin, Earl Grey tea, lemon and honey and the Pre-Shift, a frozen blend of Reyka Vodka, peaches, elderflower, and bubbly.
Industry also serves breakfast everyday until noon. Highlights include their Brisket Breakfast Sando with brisket, a fried egg, poblano cream cheese, and house BBQ sauce on a potato roll and the Brunch Bowl made with field greens, a fried egg, sweet potato, garlic rice, seasoned tots, black beans, red pepper vinaigrette, hollandaise, and green onion.
On Sundays, Industry serves their over-the-top brunch from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Highlights include their Smoked Cheeseburger Benedict made with a toasted english muffin, fried egg, swiss cheese, green onion, and red chile hollandaise; Buttermilk Biscuits and Gravy with giant homemade buttermilk biscuits and sausage gravy; and their Porky’s Pancakes with pork pastor, bacon, buttermilk pancakes, blackberry compote, and bourbon maple syrup. Looking for your Sunday Funday buzz? Try their brunch cocktails including the Industry Bloody Mary made with pepper and garlic infused Reyka Vodka, smoked tomato, and house-made bloody mix; and their Stay Woke made with Still Austin Bourbon, coffee liqueur, orange peel, cream, and cold brew coffee.
Cody Taylor and Harlan Scott have been behind several successful concepts both individually and together like Cafe Josie, Valentino’s in San Marcos, and Industry San Marcos, and are now adding Industry in East Austin to their diverse portfolio. Scott has also been a hospitality consultant for dozens of successful restaurants and bars in the Austin area. The name “Industry” is what Scott calls the idea of celebrating the raw, authentic, and diverse lifestyle of servers and cooks and everyone in between. When they created the original Industry in San Marcos, Scott and Taylor had each thrived in the fast-paced Austin food culture for a decade, and they wanted to slow down a bit. They created Industry as a “safe space” that breaks down the server/customer dynamic by creating a naturally symbiotic relationship between the two. Industry in East Austin has an employee first, customer second philosophy which Scott and Taylor feel, in turn, creates a pro-customer experience. People are being served and fed by people that feel loved and love their jobs.
“Great employee benefits including mental healthcare, fair wages, tip-share for the kitchen, and 40-hour work weeks are a priority for us,” Scott explains. “We don’t believe in the romantic notion of doubles and 70 hour work weeks; but we also hire people willing to make sacrifices from time to time to help out coworkers and the restaurant. The staff we have now, they “get it.” We think they will with Industry Eastside as well.” Industry in east Austin also offers 15% off for all service industry workers. Industry is now hiring all positions, email jobs@industrytx.com to apply.
Scott and Taylor came up in the service industry waiting tables, cooking food, and washing dishes, and they believe there’s nothing nobler than serving others. “There’s a learned empathy, blunt honesty, and unique charm that comes from having been in service,” Taylor describes. Industry in East Austin adds a 20% service charge to every bill to take the guesswork out of tipping. By doing this, this allows Industry to share tips with the kitchen, with all of their staff, and guarantee a real living wage in Austin, Texas.
Industry in East Austin is open now at 1211 E 5th St. Ste 150. Learn more about Industry and Scott and Taylor’s philosophy behind the concept on their website https://industrytx.com/ and follow them on Instagram at @industryeastside for updates.
