Austin restaurants are ready and hopeful for the return of SXSW (via EaterAustin)
from the risks associated with frontline exposure, and no local business has been immune to staffing problems. How successfully each venue is weathering the storm often comes back to the relationships they maintained throughout the dark periods of 2020 and 2021.successfully maintained its staff.
For others, this SXSW will be an exercise in restraint. Catering has traditionally been an important part of the festival experience for Asian-Mexican fusion chain: Before the pandemic began, on-site food trucks for branded events and parties typically required temporary hires. For this year’s festival, owner Jae Kim and his team will work with his existing team and focus on serving prepackaged meals. “We’d rather do a few things really well,” Kim says. “That’s our approach this year.
“After feeling some anxiety and fear, and then just getting through it by just getting through it, it feels like a little hope.” But for all the ambiguity — the public safety concerns, the staffing issues, and more — there is also a true sense of hope with this year’s festival. SXSW always brings both dollars and exposure to Austin, where businesses old and new benefit in the process.