Our In Their Words series of blogposts introduces you to businesses throughout Texas that Mission works with. Hear from chefs and owners as they discuss recipes for success and how Mission Restaurant Supply helps along the way. This post was originally published on May 24, 2017, with the title Shoal Creek Saloon's Steady Success.

Watch the Shoal Creek Saloon video here:

Though Austin has grown drastically in recent years, there are still a few special places that have endured the boom unchanged. Shoal Creek Saloon, located on Lamar and 9th Street, is one such place and a favorite of ours at Mission Restaurant Supply!

The popular and lively venue sits on a tree-lined bank of Shoal Creek, the views of which are best enjoyed from the restaurant's shady, outdoor patio. Inside you will find a full-length shuffleboard along with 31 colored widescreen TVs, making it a favorite for sports enthusiasts of all types. (New Orleans Saints fans are especially welcome!)

For the past 18 years, the Saloon's owner, Ray Canfield, has seen steady success in delivering delicious Cajun food in a fun, relaxed venue.

As the city has changed around it, Shoal Creek Saloon has remained a popular hangout for locals and visitors alike, including politicos, sports fans, lobbyists, and more. It is casual and lacking pretension, with consistently good food and plenty of entertainment to go around.

"We've been very blessed to grow in this business like we have," said Shoal Creek Saloon's General Manager, Aimee Elbrecht, who has been with the business for several years.

Diners will find the best Louisiana cuisine in the Texas capital city at this quaint Cajun headquarters. Catfish, shrimp gumbo, oysters, and boiled crawfish are delicious staples, as are the po' boys and burgers washed down with ice cold beer.

Every day there are specials, including a 16-ounce, "Austin's Best" Pork Chop on Tuesdays, and a lively Catfish Buffet lunch on Fridays. (The latter is a Mission favorite and a mainstay among our team!)

Over the years, our Austin office has helped equip the Shoal Creek Saloon family with the right smallwares and equipment for their unique specifications.

"We do have a little bit of a smaller kitchen than a lot of other restaurants," said Elbrecht, adding, "Mission has really been able to help us out with finding ways to utilize the space better and to really kind of overcome the size of our kitchen."

Like all great partnerships, our bond has been strengthened through both the good times and the bad. In 2015, on Memorial Day weekend, heavy rains poured down on Central Texas causing massive flood damage to many businesses.

"Back about 2 years ago on Memorial Day we flooded. One of the individuals that works for Mission actually called to check on us personally. And then after that him and the other staff assisted us in replacing a lot of the equipment, anywhere from small wares to the larger equipment that we lost during the flood."

Those venues located along Shoal Creek in downtown Austin were among the hardest hit, particularly Shoal Creek Saloon. (To see the devastation first hand, you can watch this video.)

Shoal Creek's amazing team was able to rebuild the restaurant with the help of friends and family who worked around the clock. Our Mission team worked hard to get their kitchen back up and running, replacing the damaged equipment and supplies that were ruined during the flood.

Five days later, Shoal Creek Saloon was open for business, a testament to the venue's hardworking team whose perseverance prevailed even when disaster struck.

As the city continues to shift and grow, Austin's restaurant scene will keep taking on new forms and flavors. Thankfully, we can always count on Shoal Creek Saloon to serve up delicious Cajun comfort food in its beautiful Creekside setting, our home away from home.

Shoal Creek Saloon is located at
909 N. Lamar Blvd.
Austin, Texas 78703
512-474-0805
(shoalcreeksaloon.com)