The Small Business Spotlight: Revival Eastside Eatery
In this "Small Business Spotlight," presented by American Bank, Austin Meek of Waco Business News highlights Danielle Young of Revival Eastside Eatery.
Customers chat on the porch of Revival Eastside Eatery located at 704 Elm Avenue. Photo by Revival Eastside Eatery.
The pandemic has caused all types of businesses to look for ways they might pivot: how do we alter our products or services to meet demand in this new reality? Almost no sector has been changed as dramatically as the restaurant industry. Seemingly overnight. restaurants transformed. Some offered free rolls of toilet paper with any purchase. At Milo All Day, customers buy flour, butter, and other kitchen staples from its dining room-turned-grocery store.
At Revival Eastside Eatery on Elm Avenue, owner Danielle Young saw the coming wave and stocked up on to-go ware. Customer seating areas are now occupied by cases of mason jars to be filled with craft beer or large trays of food ready to be placed in family-size containers for pick up.
One of Revival’s family-style meals: a roast beef sandwiches kit complete with Revival’s famous lemon garlic aioli. Photo by Revival Eastside Eatery.
"It's half storage facility, half prep area in here."
Although the situation is fluid, one constant for Danielle and the Revival team has been the steady support of customers.
"When we look at our numbers in Square, you can see how many people are, the percentage of repeat customers. We're typically at 75-78%repeat customers which is great. So I think we're doing something right and our regulars are helping us out and they're committed to come."
That symbiotic support is something Danielle had always hoped to achieve with Revival but there was no way to truly test it before July 2019. Danielle and her husband, Travis, kept their day jobs at Baylor and Hole in the Roof Marketing while opening Revival; not both diving headfirst into restaurant ownership was one of the smartest moves the entrepreneurs have made.
"I'm glad for it, especially during Covid, because we can have a small income and then make sure we are committed to our staff. We were able to keep all of our full-timers at full time."
Their investment in staff is showing results. Revival has gained fame for its hand-made hamburgers, one of the most popular items on the to-go menu.
I personally saw six burgers flipped, topped, and packaged in my few minutes back-of-house.
Even though the dining room is not open, Danielle is still managing to build relationships with customers, despite wearing a face mask.
Danielle Young of Revival Eastside Eatery, with gloves on and mask ready to serve.
"I think that's the coolest thing about owning a restaurant, at least for me, I know my regulars by name. Like, I know if they just had a big test. The girl who pulled up who was getting her burger, she is a senior. It's just fun to get to love people and give them something to come back for. There's lots to report, like how they did in school. Jennifer out there is about to have a baby and it's fun to be a part of their lives and feel like you're invested in them."
Danielle is dealing with a lot of uncertainty at Revival, and there's no telling how the pandemic will reshape the restaurant world. But it seems like she's on the right path: the food's delicious, customers are supportive, and on Elm Avenue in East Waco, Revival has found a home.
"The cool thing about [being located on Elm Avenue] is you get to be a part of a neighborhood that's already established. You're so close to downtown, you're so close to Baylor, and I really think this is going to be the art district where there's music, there's culture, there's the breweries, and we're just trying to figure out what our piece of that will be."
Music, culture, breweries...one day we'll have those back. But until then, expect to find Danielle on Revival, delivering happy smiles alongside every hamburger.
The Small Business Spotlight is presented by American Bank, with three locations in town including an expanded branch at Franklin and 4th.
This "Small Business Spotlight,” co-produced by Waco Business News and KWBU, first aired on Friday, May 15, 2020, in Episode 82 of Downtown Depot on 103.3 KWBU-FM Waco.