Formerly known as Eat East, GO EAST is set to launch the first of many celebrations of Austin’s Eastside on Tuesday, February 7, 2016. The newly revived monthly event hopes to encourage Austinites to “experience the growing restaurant, bar, and retail scene of East Central Austin.”
To get the deets, we chatted with Chad Dolezal, The Hightower owner and driving force behind the GO EAST resurgence.
Eat East focused on restaurants, and though it was successful, the event “felt singular” according to Dolezal. And anyone who’s spent time east of I-35 can testify that Austin’s Eastside is anything but.
“The idea [for GO EAST] was a community event,” Dolezal explained. “And [in addition to restaurants], we wanted to include bars, breweries, and the growing retail scene as well.” His vision for the event is an all day celebration of the eastside community.
The event will take place on the first Tuesday of every month. Dolezal said the event’s reoccurring schedule gives event goers the opportunity to plan their visits and route ahead of time.
GO EAST also hopes to highlight the walkability and rideability the neighborhood has to offer. Dolezal emphasized the event isn’t about getting people into one restaurant for two hours, but instead “encouraging visitors to spend twenty minutes [at The Hightower], then hopping over to Lazarus Brewery, and then finishing the night at Spun Ice Cream.” He said the event is meant to promote something different and to see what other businesses in the area are doing.
Participating restaurants and bars will have a $5 food or drink special while retail shops will offer discounts or giveaways. Dolezal said The Hightower’s drink special includes vodka, cucumber, ginger, and Kina, but admitted they’ve yet to come up with a name (all the more reason to visit the East 7th restaurant on Tuesday).
The list of participating establishments includes Buenos Aires Café, Counter Café, Hillside Farmacy, Mongers Market, Silo on 7th, Spun Ice Cream, Weather Up, and Aro.
Dolezal said he’s excited to see the reaction from visiting customers, but reminded us that the ultimate goal is much bigger than his business. He reiterated that it’s “about all of us doing it together and supporting our community.” It’s about saying thank you.
To learn more about GO EAST, visit their website.
Featured photo courtesy The Hightower Facebook
