Chaparral stays open, providing sandwiches and smiles after the snow

By Kristen Meriwether, Editor LPR

When Austin Burge woke up to several inches of fresh snow on Monday morning, he called his employees and let them know showing up to work wouldn’t be required. He walked the few blocks from his home to the coffee shop he co-owns, Chaparral in downtown Lockhart.

“I came in to get coffee and to see who else waned coffee,” Burge told LPR in an interview Monday afternoon.  

It turns out everyone wanted coffee. And sandwiches to go. And beer. And basic staples like eggs, bacon, and chips. Because with H.E.B. and most other businesses closed due to the weather, Chaparral was one of the few places in town to get food.

Burge said he came in around 9 a.m. and had a fairly quiet first hour. But once the word got out around town that he was open, the steady line of people came and didn’t let up.

When customer Evette Richards came in to grab come coffee and a sandwich, she noticed the line and decided to help out.

“I was just coming in to drink coffee,” Richards said while making a sandwich. “The line was out the door.”

She began helping clean dishes and make sandwiches until reinforcements arrived.

“I can usually handle it if there isn’t a ton of food,” Burge said. “But because no one else is open, there is a ton of food [orders].”

With H.E.B. closed many of the patrons LPR saw come through were grabbing groceries like eggs, bacon, chip, and granola bars. The dry goods come from Good Things Grocery in Martindale, which Burge also co-owns with his wife Taylor.

Tonight the duo will head to Martindale and restock Chaparral with provisions from Good Things Grocery. Residents can also call or email orders to Good Things and have their orders picked up at Chaparral on Tuesday Feb. 16.