PEOPLE Clay McPhail The restaurateur founded El Arroyo’s famous sign A ustin foodies who stop into 5280 Burger and Taphouse in search of a juicy burger may later and told [us] to change the sign because so many people were slamming their brakes and pulling in,” McPhail said. BY KATY MCAFEE
nd another unexpected treasure: the backstory of Tex-Mex restaurant El Arroyo’s famous sign. The story begins in the ’70s, when 5280 owner Clay McPhail moved from East Texas to Austin to study business at The University of Texas. During his college years, McPhail got by working at The Bucket—a bar with live music seven nights a week and a capacity for 1,000 people. It was there McPhail met Doug English, a UT football player and regu- lar at The Bucket who later went on to play for the Detroit Lions and become McPhail’s busi- ness partner. In 1987, McPhail and English recon- nected and decided to buy El Arroyo, which was then owned by Bob and Mary Ogden and was counter service only. “We wrote a one-, three- and ve-year business plan on a yellow legal pad and opened [El Arroyo] two months later,” McPhail said. On opening day, McPhail and English found an old sign covered in debris and a big stack of tile letters in the back. McPhail cleaned the debris and debuted El Arroyo’s rst-ever sign: “Warning: All tra c must exit—enter- ing Tex Mex zone.” “The police came two hours
After that rst day, the El Arroyo sign operation was in full swing. McPhail changed the sign every sin- gle night after the restaurant closed for 26 years, amounting to 9,400 di erent signs. “My favorites were the self- deprecating ones,” McPhail said, recalling a popular one that said: “El Arroyo: conveniently located near most hospitals.” McPhail sold El Arroyo to Ellis and Paige Winstanley in McPhail moved to Denver to open the rst 5280 Burger and Taphouse and expanded the restaurant to Austin in November 2021. McPhail said his current restaurants stand out with quality, as the 5280 kitchen sta spent three days trying 50 di erent queso recipes before they landed on one with habanero, poblano and serrano peppers. McPhail said in the next couple years, his team is considering opening a second Austin location and bringing back the daily sign tradition. “We think we have the best burg- ers in town by far,” McPhail said. “We just need to get the word out.” 2012 and stopped managing the sign in 2013. However, the sign is still changed daily. A year later,
Clay McPhail owned El Arroyo between 1987 and 2012 and now owns 5280 Burger and Taphouse in Northwest Hills.
PHOTOS BY KATY MCAFEE
• In 1987, McPhail bought El Arroyo. • For 26 years, he changed the sign daily. • He created 9,400 over signs. SIGNS OF THE TIMES THREE ICONIC EL ARROYO SIGNS: • Queso is nature's way of making up for Mondays • What if soy milk is just regular milk introducing itself? • My soulmate is out there somewhere. Pushing a pull door.
“THE POLICE CAME TWO HOURS LATER AND TOLD US TO CHANGE THE SIGN BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE WERE SLAMMING THEIR BRAKES...” CLAY MCPHAIL, OWNER OF 5280 BURGER AND TAPHOUSE
El Arroyo was rst opened in 1975 by Bob and Mary Ogden.
The El Arroyo sign is still updated daily by the new team behind the restaurant.
5280 Burger and Taphouse 7032 Wood Hollow Drive, Austin 512-580-6016 www.5280burgerbar.com Hours: Sun-Thu. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Check out where McPhail is now
The resturant’s menu includes its ‘Perfect Burger’ and tru e fries.
If you see a traffic signal that needs maintenance, call 3-1-1 or 512-974-2000 to submit the Traffic signal maintenance service request.
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SOUTH CENTRAL AUSTIN EDITION • MARCH 2023
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