Parks board recommends Legacy Hospitality for Zilker Cafe concession after contested RFP; vote 6-1

The Austin Parks and Recreation Board voted 6-1 to recommend the city negotiate and execute a contract with Legacy Hospitality and Entertainment Group LLC to operate the long-vacant Zilker Cafe concession at Zilker Park.

The council recommendation follows a procurement process that closed with a single respondent. Paul Trimble of Central Procurement told the board the RFP opened Feb. 24 and closed with one proposal; Legacy Hospitality scored 70 out of 100 in the evaluation (management plan, operating plan, cost/financial plan and qualifications were scored; Legacy did not qualify for local or small-business preference points). The solicitation required the concessionaire to operate during preferred park hours, provide healthy and affordable menu options, maintain equipment and building systems and prohibited alcohol sales at the site.

Public commenters raised environmental and site-specific concerns before the vote. Chris Flores, a regular Barton Springs swimmer, asked the board to ensure any contract required the vendor to be aware of environmentally sensitive habitat behind the cafe near Eliza Spring and to manage grease and other risks so salamander habitat would not be harmed. Ty Schauffman, a founder of Legacy Hospitality who called in during public comment, introduced his company and said Legacy had experience operating public-facing hospitality in parks and similar settings and that the company would work with city staff on environmental protections.

Board members questioned why the solicitation drew only one proposal. Procurement staff said outreach had reached hundreds of registered vendors and that the city advertised in the Austin American-Statesman. Trimble said two vendors who discussed the opportunity cited the prohibition on alcohol sales as a primary reason for not proposing; several others cited cost and revenue-share concerns tied to food-cost inflation. Staff said the minimum financial terms included a base monthly payment and a 10% gross sales revenue share; the RFP specified a $7,000 monthly minimum as the baseline.

During discussion, board members voiced competing priorities: some urged getting the cafe reopened as soon as possible to provide visitor services and revenue, while others warned the revenue model may be challenging without alcohol sales and pressed for guardrails to protect environmentally sensitive areas.

Vice Chair Flowers made the motion to recommend negotiation and execution of the contract; Board Member Villalobos seconded. The motion passed 6-1, with Board Member Eubanks recorded in opposition.

Next steps: city staff will begin negotiations with Legacy Hospitality; any final contract will require city council authorization and further review under the city's procurement and contract rules.

No final contract was executed at the board meeting; the board authorized a recommendation to council to begin negotiations.