Austin Club

I totally agree with the previous reviewer I don’t know who he is) but everything is very accurate. The yelling, the cockroaches, the board loving this Monster and allowing him to do whatever he feels like. The abuse, discrimination and a lot of othe things like a parade of homeless working in the kitchen serving the high society. The homeless with no papers or health certificates… do you really want your food or plates be touched by someone living on the streets by choice?

I was there volunteering for The Austin Film Festival Writer's Award Luncheon. Staff service is amazing and the food was fabulously delicious.

Austin Film Festival used it for events and a press room. Luxurious. Feels like you've stepped into a movie with Carry Grant and Fred Astare.

The Austin Club is a beautiful old place, brimming over with charm and history. Rife with a particular kind of ambiance and elegance, its cozy dining room and massive ballroom make it a singular location located in the heart of Downtown Austin. With exceptionally high demand across Austin for elevated dining and social experiences, this place should be packed on a regular basis and it once was. Perhaps the best Maître d’ in the world, Joe J made every single patron feel as though each immaculate visit was created from scratch purely for them. The food was excellent; the bartenders were incredible; and the servers were snappy. As a service experience there was nothing in the area to rival it. It was a truly wonderful place to come.It is now dying a fast death as a going concern.At any moment, the General Manager might wander into a room and begin shouting. He shuffles in and yells at employees right in front of members and guests, often for simply doing their jobs. In one instance he yelled at an employee for accommodating another employee with a disability per ADA requirements. He is known to regularly pull employees into the President’s Room; close the door; and yell so loudly that anyone present in the bar down the hall can enjoy his every complaint along with the targets of his tirades, who then frequently depart in tears. But Ken Richardson’s abuse is not limited to employees. He is known to yell at members just as often as anyone else, often shouting random ramblings about cheapskates and expenses and how no one understands or appreciates how great he is. But with his one unfocused eye, no one is ever really certain if he’s yelling at a person or a wall. Temp agencies will no longer send their staff to work any club events, unwilling to subject any of their people to his vitriol and abuse. And with new employees leaving as quickly as they are hired because of his radically toxic management style, this usually leaves operations severely short staffed. Which means he usually has to attend most functions himself, where he gleefully tells banquet customers that they are stupid as he sticks his dirty fingers into their wedding cakes.Under his stewardship, a once wonderful experience has been profoundly diminished. Members are embarrassed to bring guests, not knowing if the food will be completely cooked or if the Grade D steaks will be served still frozen in the middle. At any moment Ken could wander in and begin shouting hopefully at an actual person. The event programming caters to members who have been gone for decades, instead of capitalizing on an entire population actively seeking the kind of place this establishment once was (and could be). Because he cuts legitimate costs at every opportunity, lack of any pest control has resulted in roaches regularly falling from the ceiling in both back of house and front of house spaces, and skimpy little cocktails get served in tiny dessert coupes instead of martini glasses.It is heart breaking to see a once vibrant and grand establishment get run into the ground by a tired old man who yells at everyone in sight. The Board of Directors have been terrible stewards of The Austin Club, choosing to lazily overlook the horrendous behavior of a toxic General Manager who should have been invited to retire long ago.

Looks like a good place to have dinner and relax if you're a member... the menu with quail always catches my eye!The interior is gorgeous, and the picture shows a doll scene with a cat for Fall and Halloween...a great scene from the Austin Beauty Center.