Years before Austin became a tech industry oasis, the site of a present day glitzy, mixed-use high-rise development used to house none other than a Hooters restaurant.
Hooters has bid adieu to the Texas capital area after shuttering its final outpost in Round Rock in late May. The closure comes more than a year after the restaurant company – whose menu includes sports bar staples like burgers, wings, tacos, seafood dishes and desserts – filed for bankruptcy in March 2025, leaving the future of the risqué chain in limbo.
Back in the business’ heyday, it was a mainstay near downtown Austin, nestled at the intersection of South First Street, Barton Springs Road and Riverside Drive at 401 S. First St., Austin, TX 78704.
That was until Stream Realty Partners took over the parcel of land housing the restaurant to construct an office tower in the heart of the Texas capital. Construction formally kicked off back in March 2019 on the project with the demolition of the former eatery.
The former Hooters restaurant, located at 401 S. First St., Austin, TX 78704, was demolished in 2019 and replaced by a mixed-use high-rise. (Google Images)
RiverSouth, a mixed-use high-rise located at 401 S. First St., Austin, TX 78704, replaced the former Hooters restaurant downtown. (Google Images)
The 350,000-square-foot tower, named RiverSouth, features both office space as well as dining and retail offerings. The 15-story property includes a sky lounge on the top level, outdoor terraces, a fitness studio, panoramic views of the capital skyline as well as more than 13,000 square feet of retail space and a typical office footprint amounting to about 38,000 square feet.
Today, just 19 Hooters remain in the Lone Star State, largely concentrated in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, San Antonio, El Paso Houston and several other smaller Texas cities.
This article originally published at Before it was a 15-story high-rise, this Austin site housed Hooters.