Rick Garcia knows the risks of running a restaurant in Austin, even one with a 37-year legacy.
Still, he didn’t hesitate to step in when Green Mesquite BBQ's oldest and last standing restaurant on Barton Springs Road was heading toward closure.
“Having to tell my wife was the main thing,” Garcia said. “But she was on board as long as I was on board. And she knows how much this restaurant is beloved. This restaurant is part of me. The thought of it closing … some of us cried.”
Last Saturday, Green Mesquite employees arrived to work to find the doors locked with a notice from the building’s landlord saying the business was months behind on rent. Staff decided to cobble together thousands of dollars out of their personal savings to continue operating.
“We restaurant workers, none of us have a bunch of money,” Garcia said. “Fortunately, everybody had a chunk.”
Garcia dedicated the most — half of his life savings.
Now he is co-owner of Green Mesquite along with several other long-time employees. The business was handed over to them by Tom Davis, who had been the sole owner since it opened in 1988.
Green Mesquite is more than just a business to Garcia. He’s worked there for more than 20 years. He watched his kids grow up running around the back patio.
“It’s funny because this is the main barbecue they’d always eat, and whenever we go to another B-B-Q joint they’d [say] ‘This barbecue sauce isn’t nearly as good as ours, Dad,’” he said.
In 2021, after Garcia’s daughter, Vivian, died in a car accident, her wake was held at Green Mesquite. Friends and local musicians dedicated their time to play and grieve.
“It was very special to me,” he said.
Garcia doesn’t want to see Green Mesquite close, so he’s revitalizing it. He said he will bring back weekly live local music and open mic nights, and he hired a social media manager to help compete with Austin’s newer barbecue joints.
Mostly, he wants to keep the restaurant's 'Old Austin' feel — especially for customers like Nick Jarvis, who comes in so often he has his own salad on the menu.
Jarvis eats at Green Mesquite at least five times a week. He calls the back patio "his office."
"It's so peaceful back here," he said. "I really hope it stays. The people here are dedicated, they're really nice. I like that non-corporate feel."
Green Mesquite is one of many long-time businesses on Barton Springs Road that have struggled to stay open. Comfort Food restaurant Shady Grove closed during the pandemic after almost 30 years. Baby A's closed last fall. And earlier this week, Thom's Market announced it would permanently close on April 20.
To Garcia, those closures give him more motivation to save Green Mesquite.
“Deep in my heart I feel like we will dig ourselves out of this and we will be successful again,” he said. “And we’re gonna go another 40 years.”
