Night Hawk (restaurant)

Last updated
Night Hawk
Restaurant information
Established1932 (1932)
Closed2018 (2018)
Food typeHamburgers and steaks

Night Hawk was a restaurant chain founded by Harry Akin in 1932. Its last location closed in 2018.

Contents

History

Early history

The first Night Hawk restaurant, located at the site of a former fruit stand on Congress Avenue and Riverside Drive, was opened by Harry Akin in 1932. Akin had been unable to find work during the Great Depression and decided to open a hamburger restaurant to earn a living. The original location had two booths and eight barstools at its lunch counter. [1]

Akin named the restaurant the Night Hawk because he wanted to cater to customers who were awake late into the night, considering himself to be a "night bird". [2] The chain became known for offering free coffee to customers between midnight and 6 a.m. It developed a reputation for quality, and for a period of time Akin raised and butchered his own cattle for beef. [3] In 1935, the first location was destroyed by flooding, [4] but was extensively repaired. [5]

Expansion

In 1933, Akin bought an old cafe at 1907 Guadalupe St. for $100 and opened the second Night Hawk location there. It became popular with students at the nearby University of Texas at Austin. [1]

In 1953, he opened a Night Hawk restaurant in Frisco on Koenig Lane and Burnet Road. [6] The restaurant was named "The Frisco Shop". [7]

Over the time, the restaurant developed from a relaxed, hamburger restaurant into a more upscale chain that served steaks. [5] The chain was known for its high standards for employee training, and many of its employees went on to become notable restaurateurs. At its height, the chain had seven restaurants, [8] including steakhouses in San Antonio and Houston. [2] Akin began selling frozen charbroiled steaks to restaurants and later established a line of frozen dinners in 1964. [6]

Singer Toni Price worked at the chain during her early career. [9]

Civil rights policies

Akin enforced progressive policies at his restaurants,providing equal opportunity employment to Black and female employees and allowing them to hold management positions. He also promoted equal customer service. [10] The chain were the first restaurants in Austin to serve African-American customers. [2] Akin persuaded many other restaurant owners and executives to end discrimination in their establishments. [11] In June 1963, Akin was one of several restaurateurs who visited the White House to convince John F. Kennedy to work on desegregating the service industry. [10] That year, the Texas Observer reported that Akin led a group of restaurateurs that desegregated 27 Austin restaurants. [12] The restaurant was patronized by celebrities including US President Lyndon B. Johnson, André the Giant, Donna Douglas, and James Arness. [13]

Death of Akin and decline

Akin died in 1976, and his widow Lela Jane Akin Tinstman took over the chain. [4] As of 1980, five of the chain's seven location had closed. [8] Changing tastes and dining patterns were attributed to the chain's loss of popularity. [2]

The original location was destroyed again in 1985 by a grease fire that got out of control. [4] The restaurant was rebuilt and reopened two years later, but was unable to find a steady clientele because the renovated space was unfamiliar and the city had received an influx of new arrivals who did not have an attachment to the restaurant. [8] The frozen food brand was sold to Charles Hill in 1989, and was moved from its original location in Austin to a larger plant in Buda, Texas in 1993. [6]

Frisco restaurant

In 1994, the Frisco location was purchased by Akin's nephew R. Harry Akin, who owned the restaurant with his wife Julia. The restaurant was renovated three times to accommodate extra seating for customers, and moved to a new location in 2008. [14] It was the longest-running Night Hawk location [10] and the last one left operating, [15] before its closure in 2018. [14]

Description

The restaurant served hamburgers and steaks. The trimmings left from butchering the steaks were used to make the chain's famous "Top Chop't" steak patties. [2] The Frisco Burger was served with sweet relish and Russian dressing. [3] It also serves various sides, Tex-Mex food, and pies. [7] Its menu also included breakfast dishes like "eggs blindfolded", which was described as a cross between a poached egg and a fried egg, and "decorated eggs" which were covered with chili and beans. [3]

In 2007, Texan singer and columnist Kinky Friedman wrote that "if Texas were ever destroyed in a terrorist nuclear attack, three things would be sure to survive. In San Antonio, there'd be the Alamo. In Dallas, there'd be Tom Landry's hat. In Austin, there'd be the Night Hawk on Burnet Road." [16]

References

  1. 1 2 Lopez, Danielle (2021-10-28). "The Old Nighthawk No. 2 in Austin". Texas Highways. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Wood, Virginia B. (2001-01-26). "The Flight of the Night Bird". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  3. 1 2 3 Edge, John T. (2007-01-01). Southern Belly: The Ultimate Food Lover's Companion to the South. Algonquin Books. pp. 271–273. ISBN   978-1-56512-547-6.
  4. 1 2 3 Communications, Emmis (August 1985). The Alcalde. Emmis Communications. pp. 16–18.
  5. 1 2 Duran, Lori (2018). Austin's Travis Heights Neighborhood. Arcadia Publishing. p. 92. ISBN   978-1-4671-2986-2.
  6. 1 2 3 Broyles, Addie (2018-07-23). "A taste of the Frisco's famous charbroiled steak lives on in the Buda-based Night Hawk frozen foods". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  7. 1 2 Vann, Mick (2013-05-29). "Restaurant Flashbacks From the Frisco Shop". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  8. 1 2 3 Haupt, Melanie (2013-10-08). Historic Austin Restaurants: Capital Cuisine through the Generations. History Press. ISBN   978-1-62584-578-8.
  9. ↑ Wood, Virginia B. (2001-01-26). "Night Hawk Alumni". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  10. 1 2 3 Leahy, Joseph (2018-07-27). "The Night Hawk's Final Flight: Diners Bid Farewell To A Piece Of Austin's Culinary Past". KUT Radio, Austin's NPR Station. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  11. ↑ Humphrey, David C. (1997). Austin: A History of the Capital City. Texas State Historical Association. p. 45. ISBN   978-0-87611-162-8.
  12. ↑ The Texas Observer. Texas Observer Publishing Company. 1963. p. 10.
  13. ↑ Russell, Erin (2018-07-27). "Remembering the Legacy of the Frisco and Night Hawk". Eater Austin. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  14. 1 2 "One of Austin's oldest restaurants closing after 65 years". KBPA - Austin, TX. 2018-07-19. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  15. ↑ Goldstein, Robin S.; Robin, Goldstein; Markovits, Rebecca; Nelson, Monika Powe (2006-06-19). Fearless Critic Austin Restaurant Guide: Brutally Honest Undercover Food Writers Rate 390 Places to Eat. Fearless Critic Media. p. 195. ISBN   978-0-9740143-3-3.
  16. ↑ Friedman, Kinky (2007-12-18). The Great Psychedelic Armadillo Picnic: A "Walk" in Austin. Crown. p. 52. ISBN   978-0-307-42206-4.
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