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Featured Replies

This place has generally begun to suck since the Abel's guys took it over a couple of years ago.  Now, it seems that they are behind on their rent on the West 5th store and a fight has ensued over the El Arroyo trademark.  Perhaps the high-rise that ends up getting built there will preserve the daily marquee postings?

https://www.mystatesman.com/business/sign-the-times-fight-brewing-over-arroyo-restaurant-name/KmvJZFeWHwZrVDFvnN44tO/

Par for the course for those guys.  

They have a longstanding reputation of running restaurants into the ground.  

Maybe it’s just me but I’ve always thought it has sucked. Last time I ate there was probably 7 years ago and it was terrible.

I haven’t been to the 5th Street location in over a decade, but the one on Far West started sucking shit a few years before it closed. 

10 hours ago, Chet Steadman said:

Par for the course for those guys.  

They have a longstanding reputation of running restaurants into the ground.  

Who keeps loaning them money to do exactly that?

It sucked back in 2006, the last time I went.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Haven't been since the Clinton Administration
Haven't cared that I haven't been
Their Monday Enchiladas Del Mar was fucking awesome (3 crab/shrimp for $6.50 Monday nights).  Once they stopped that I stopped them.

I know what happened on the trademark.  Common scenario.  The original owners (Ogdens), never bothered to register the trademark, they just called it a "trade name."  The agreement probably says something like "the right to use the trade name "El Arroyo.'"

The lawyers who did the buy-sell paid no attention to the IP,  so the name didn't get handled properly.  The buyers (Cozumel) registered the trademark as the users/owners.

Now the sellers are claiming they only had a license to the mark, not outright ownership and that the buyers thus fraudulently registered and renewed the trademark.

The seller's end game is that they want to keep the name and license it to someone else when the current El Arroyo goes el busto.

 

Reason I bring this up, if you have a business where the name is even a marginally important asset, register that fucker.  And even if you don't register it, treat it like a valuable trademark even if it may not be.  I see this way too often.

Edited by TwiceHorn

If the new one is called The Arroyo, is that different enough to not get sued?

Just now, miguelito said:

If the new one is called The Arroyo, is that different enough to not get sued?

Probably not. 

Funny thing, I see this in my practice fairly often coming out of smaller towns (most recently Waco from a transaction in 2003) , where the lawyers just aren't that cognizant of IP and trademarks.  Austin certainly no longer fits that bill, but this was early 90s Austin.  A bit of a sign o the times, if you will.

12 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Also, I see that the Winstanley bros own The Tavern now.  Does it suck?

The even screwed up the hamburgers. I mean how do you fuck up a hamburger.

Looks like they sold it to the Esther's Follies owners back in February 

https://austin.eater.com/2018/2/14/17013288/the-tavern-esther-follies-new-owners-raymond-tatum-menu

 

Edited by Texas007
Duh

  • 3 weeks later...
On 5/15/2018 at 5:30 AM, South Austin said:

I haven’t been to the 5th Street location in over a decade, but the one on Far West started sucking shit a few years before it closed. 

Yep.  We used to take the brood up there every once in awhile but eventually it just wasn't worth it.  Clammy cheese, sauces seemingly out of a can, etc.

  • 1 month later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Worked a couple of blocks from there for seven years, and probably ate there 5 times. But I did like driving past the marquee every day. 

  • 3 weeks later...

You'd think eventually they'd run out of money? 

3 hours ago, utee94 said:

You'd think eventually they'd run out of money? 

Unless it's a drug-laundering front.

On 5/15/2018 at 7:25 AM, Stunns38 said:

It sucked back in 2006, the last time I went.

Same here. The food was never great. It was a place to go after class on Thursday afternoon for $1 ritas. Anyone who has ever gone there for any other reason was doing it wrong.

The food has always sucked. The location is the only reason I assumed it was still open. The drug laundering would also make sense 

  • 3 years later...
  • Author

Wow.  With a bit of PE money, the Winstanley's plan to expand their footprint of suckage!

El Arroyo, Austin restaurant famous for funny signs, is expanding across Texas

The home of the iconic marquee sign will open multiple locations in the state in the next few years.

https://www.mysanantonio.com/food/article/el-arroyo-austin-new-locations-17405032.php

Edited by DalTxHornFan

Must be quite the market for shitty Mexican food. 

Has anyone actually eaten there recently? I heard a rumor the food has improved, but I haven't been in 15 years.

Last time I ate there was on the way back from ACL Fest in 2021.  I was starving and drunk, so didn't care about quality and don't remember much about it, other than it didn't make enough of an impression for me to go back there.

1 hour ago, Spoosner said:

Has anyone actually eaten there recently? I heard a rumor the food has improved, but I haven't been in 15 years.

A few months ago. It was ok.

  • Author
1 hour ago, Spoosner said:

Has anyone actually eaten there recently? I heard a rumor the food has improved, but I haven't been in 15 years.

Cold chips out a bag and crappy salsa, both likely straight from the Sysco truck.  Hard to overcome that.  Sad.  I used to love that place in the Doug English and Clay McPhail, et al. era.

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