Southbites Café And Coffee Bar Schedules Grand Opening

AUSTIN, TX — Officials at SouthBites, a café and coffee bar, have announced a grand opening date scheduled for next week.

The first phase of the opening occurred in June on the ground floor of the new, 13-story SXSW Center in downtown Austin, with the grand opening scheduled for Monday, July 22.

The grand opening will be filled with special events and deals:

GRAND OPENING FESTIVITIES

SouthBites invites SXSW Center tenants, nearby downtown neighbors, and residents across Austin to join in celebrating the official grand opening launch with a variety of specials, discounts, and promotions throughout the day. Beginning at 7 a.m. when doors open, SouthBites will offer one complimentary cup of drip coffee and breakfast taco to its first 100 patrons.

Throughout the day, SouthBites will also reward all guests with 100 bonus loyalty program points (a $10 value) to apply towards future purchases. First-time guests will be given a preloaded loyalty card while returning guests, who already participate in the loyalty program, will have 100 points added to their existing cards. Additionally, guests who post to social media using the tag @SouthBitesATX during the day of the grand opening will be automatically entered for a chance to win one of five $25 SouthBites gift cards.

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“SOUTHPAW” SIGNATURE DRINK & AUSTIN PETS ALIVE PARTNERSHIP

On the day of the grand opening, SouthBites will also kick off a partnership with its designated local charity partner, Austin Pets Alive! The Austin-based animal shelter pioneers innovative lifesaving programs designed to save the animals most at risk of euthanasia.

Beginning on July 22, SouthBites’ menu will offer a specialty charitable beverage, SouthPaw, to raise funds for the organization. $1 from every sale of the refreshing blend of espresso, ginger beer, and fresh mint will be donated to Austin Pets Alive! For more information about Austin Pets Alive!, please visit www.austinpetsalive.org.

SOCIAL HOUR - DISCOUNTED DAILY HAPPY HOUR PROGRAM

Later that day, during the grand opening celebrations, SouthBites will kick off its ongoing Social Hour event series, which will take place daily Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. on the ground floor lobby of the SXSW Center. The new happy hour will feature a rotating menu of various discounted and locally-sourced food and drink specials throughout each afternoon during the workweek, with initial offerings including discount-priced espresso and coffee beverages, specially priced assorted cheese boards and assorted flatbreads. In the near future, additional options, including both signature and traditional liquor cocktail options, will be added to the happy hour-themed menu.

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EXPANDED COFFEE, BREAKFAST & LUNCH MENUS

Open to both SXSW Center tenants and public patrons, SouthBites offers a carefully curated selection of all-natural, mindfully sourced food, including both hot and cold grab-and-go options such as tacos, sandwiches, salads, crudites, pastries, and more from Pink Avocado Catering. SouthBites also offers a variety of gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options in an effort to provide more inclusive dining options. Breakfast menu highlights include breakfast tacos—available on both flour and gluten-free corn tortillas; pastries, including homemade pop-tarts, cinnamon rolls, croissants, rice crispy treats; and snackable items, like chia puddings, fruit cups, and snack bars.

The afternoon lunch menu highlights include a variety of salads, including a Cobb salad with grilled chicken and a quinoa bowl; sandwiches, including tofu banh mi, and turkey and whipped brie on a croissant; and a rotating soup of the week, with flavors such as chicken tortilla, broccoli cheddar, and Cajun turkey.

In addition to classic coffee options like espresso, drip coffee, and cold brew from local favorite Cuvee Coffee, head barista and coffee expert Denise Caballero provides a unique slate of coffee programming specific to the café and coffee bar. On the day of the grand opening, Caballero will introduce Barrett’s Coffee Roasters as SouthBites’ first guest in its newly implemented rotating pour-over/slow bar program. Caballero recently relocated from New Orleans, where she was the head barista and general manager at Revelator Coffee, a Southern regional coffee chain based in Birmingham, Alabama.

BACKGROUND & FUTURE PLANS

The team responsible for bringing the SouthBites concepts to fruition includes friends of 20+ years and industry veterans Brent Schumacher and Quirino “Q” Silva. Schumacher is best known as the founder and executive chef of Pink Avocado Catering, one of the most popular and successful catering companies in the greater Austin area. Silva was formerly the director of culinary operations at the local fast-casual chicken restaurant Flyrite Chicken.

Later this year, the team will unveil a pop-up program for the rooftop deck of the SXSW Center, which will offer exclusive access to the rooftop for the general public. Although the rooftop deck is currently only open to building tenants during business hours, early morning and evening pop-ups will offer paid public guests an exclusive opportunity to enjoy panoramic views of Texas State Capitol, UT Campus, and the Texas Hill Country.

More details on the rooftop and SXSW Center, including information surrounding private event rentals, are available at www.1400lavaca.com.

"Stay tuned for more details surrounding the rotating menu of food and beverage options at SouthBites ground level café and coffee bar, including the evening Social Hour offerings, in addition to information surrounding public pop-up events on the rooftop," officials said. "SouthBites will also open an adjacent full-service restaurant and bar on the ground floor of the SXSW Center in 2020."

SouthBites is located inside the newly opened SXSW Center at 1400 Lavaca Street, Austin, TX 78701. It is open five days a week, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. To stay up to date on all SouthBites news and events, be sure to visit SouthBitesATX.com and follow SouthBites on Facebook at @SouthBitesATX, on Twitter at @SouthBitesATX, and on Instagram at @SouthBitesATX.

ABOUT SOUTHBITES

Created in 2019 by two successful restaurateurs and longtime friends, Brent Schumacher and Quirino “Q” Silva, SouthBites offers downtown Austin an approachable fast-casual dining experience with a curated selection of all-natural, mindfully and locally sourced foods and coffee at the SXSW Center, located in downtown Austin just west of the Texas Capitol building. To learn more about SouthBites, visit www.SouthBitesATX.com and follow SouthBites on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.