It’s the end of an era for Picnik—but the beginning of a new one for its spinoff. The beloved Austin restaurant announced today that it will close its final location on Burnet Road and create a new concept in its place.
Original owner Naomi Seifter opened the first Picnik trailer in 2013, which later expanded to multiple locations across Austin. The eatery was noted for its omission of ingredients like gluten, seed oils, peanuts, and refined sugars, making it a go-to spot for diners with restrictive diets.
Seifter stepped down as CEO in 2019, but in December she returned to the helm. Now, she’s closing the last remaining location to get her concept back to its roots.
The founder noted that Picnik was never intended to be a “gluten-free comfort food place.” During the video, she says, “In the next four to six weeks, I’m going to birth a brand new restaurant concept that I feel is going to be the perfect representation of what we believe healthy, nourishing, health-promoting food should look like in a restaurant setting in 2026 and beyond.”
Seifter says the new concept will have high-quality ingredients including pasture-raised meats, organic or farm-to-table produce, and cooking with traditional fats like grass-fed butter, tallow, and extra virgin olive oil.
Follow @picnikrealfood on Instagram for updates on the new restaurant.