The Monument Café

The Monument Café has become a Georgetown landmark since owners Clark Lyda and Rusty Winkstern first opened its doors 13 years ago. They built the restaurant’s reputation on delicious food made daily from fresh, all-natural ingredients. On any given day and at any given meal, the parking lot at 1953 S. Austin Avenue overflows.

Parking should no longer be a problem at their new location, one block north of the square. Even with seating capacity increased by one-third, customers will find space in the Café’s parking lot, along the street, and in an empty lot on the next block. The décor at the new location will retain the feel of a classic roadside diner, but with a few subtle updates. Customers who have to wait for a table will find a more welcoming entrance.

Much of the additional square footage in the new building is behind the scenes. A larger kitchen was needed for serving the extra customers, expanding catering operations, and producing foods for the new Rock Street Market.

The extra space should come in handy at Christmas. 2008 will mark the Monument’s sixth year of providing a traditional Christmas meals at no cost for anyone who needs one. Volunteers line up in cars outside the restaurant to take the meals to hundreds of shut-ins. Others come to the restaurant and are fed on site; it’s hard to say whether they come for the food or for the warm community feeling to ease holiday loneliness.

THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY

The company’s generous spirit extends beyond the Georgetown borders. Wherever possible, the Monument enacts green policies to protect the environment. The company philosophy is to “Think globally, act locally,” which they’ll take to exciting new heights by adding a thermophilic bio composter which will turn the restaurant’s food and paper waste product into compost that will be used in the Monument’s organic garden. The composter and traditional recycling will collectively handle approximately 99% of the trash generated by the development.

The sustainable building practices were in place from the beginning. When building, they reused everything they could of the existing structures on the site and recycled 90% of the debris. Local-sourced building materials were utilized as much as possible to reduce the Café’s carbon footprint. As development continues, solar panels will be erected to generate electricity, and they’ll be used to provide shade for the roof and parking areas.

MORE CHANGES COMING

Residents will continue to see changes for a year or two. Construction on Rock Street Market should take place in 2009. At the natural fresh food market, they plan to sell meat, poultry, and vegetables from local suppliers and fresh seafood daily. The market will also house a full bakery and a deli with convenience foods that patrons can grab on the run.

A three-story office building will be added to the left front corner of the Monument block as one looks at the development from Austin Avenue. A professional building will be added to the opposite corner.

The Monument Café development and Georgetown’s charming historic square just a block away will enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship. The Monument is a destination in itself and the café, office, and retail will bring more traffic to the square. The Monument will, in turn, benefit from its more visible location and from the downtown activity generated by the shops and restaurants on the square, especially on days with regular events, such as First Fridays, Market Days, and the Red Poppy Festival.

The new location opened Monday, November 10th.