Dining
BY STEVE GUNTLI
The Redneck Benedict ($15.99) is a twist on the classic egg dish with sausage, biscuits and gravy.
Owner Earl Follis hired general manager Brandi Palmer in 2024.
1431 Cafe has been operating in the same location with most of the same menu since 2009.
PHOTOS BY STEVE GUNTLI COMMUNITY IMPACT
1431 Cafe o ers comfort food with a Southern twist 1431 Cafe, located along Whitestone Blvd. (aka RM 1431) in Cedar Park, prides itself on being an “old-school diner” that o ers classic comfort food with a unique Southern spin, said owner Earl Follis. The backstory “A lot of restaurants, the back of house and front of house sta don’t speak, they don’t mingle, but I’ve really pushed them to communicate with each other, and the more they’ve learned about each
other, the closer they’ve gotten,” Palmer said. The diner has attracted loyal customers who have been visiting for more than 16 years, and for Palmer that loyalty runs deeper than a simple business interaction. “We’ve had customers come in who have broken A/C units, and the sta all pitched in to get it repaired,” she said. “We really do consider our- selves to be a family.” What they o er 1431 serves breakfast and lunch daily from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The menu features a large selection of benedicts, from traditional style to variations on classic southern fare like the Redneck Benedict, served on a biscuit with sausage gravy. In addition, the menu features plenty of diner staples like omelettes, stu ed pancakes, corned beef hash platters and the cafe’s signature chick- en-fried bacon. Palmer has also worked to expand the restau- rant’s bar o erings, with a full menu of brunch classics like mimosas, screwdrivers and an eclectic selection of Bloody Mary’s. “We de nitely do what no one else does,” Palmer said. “We are unique in that way.”
1431 Cafe’s menu features unique side dishes like chicken-fried bacon ($5.85) .
1431 Cafe has been operating in Cedar Park since 2009. Follis took over the business in 2019 after spending years in the tech sector. His investment was solid, but his timing left something to be desired: Follis and his wife took over the cafe just three months before the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown. But Follis and his crew were able to keep the business a oat through delivery orders, and by selling food and provisions, such as baking supplies. “I became a our mogul for about a week,” Follis said. “I sold about a thousand pounds of our in one week. I didn’t make a bit of money, but we were able to help out our community.” Once the lockdown lifted and business started to pick back up, Follis realized he needed someone with restaurant experience to guide the day-to-day strategy of the cafe, so in 2024 he hired Brandi Palmer as a general manager. Palmer has been in the restaurant business her whole life, even helping her mother cook eggs in her family restaurant when she was 5 years old. Palmer said her focus has been on creating a memorable experience for both her customers and her sta .
1431 has expanded on its bar o erings with twists on classic brunch drinks like mimosas and Bloody Marys.
1431
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601 E. Whitestone Blvd., Ste 300, Cedar Park www.1431cafe.com
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