Creek Road Café closing after 12 years

After 12 years of providing quality dining experiences to Dripping Springs, Creek Road Café closed its door permanently on Sunday May 31. Co-Owner Carl Shroyer gave the COVID-19 business shut-down as the primary culprit.

In a statement Shroyer said, “We want to thank all our friends in Dripping Springs, Wimberly and the surrounding areas for letting Creek Road Café be your special occasion dining destination for the last 12 years. You have celebrated with us for birthdays, anniversaries, engagements, graduations, bridal showers, rehearsal dinners, first dates, last and only dates…and many, many dinners out with your family and friends. It has been our great pleasure to serve you the freshest finest food and the best personal service that we could provide. For a lot of reasons, we are permanently closing at the end of business on Sunday, May 30th. Our hearts are full of wonderful memories from the time we opened August 8th 2008 to now. We want to thank every one of you who have made these years so amazing.”

In an interview with the Century News Shroyer said the felt the restaurant had had a pretty good run. “The fact is that very few new restaurants make it past their second year. The failure rate is as high as 70%, especially on the fine dining side,” Shroyer said. “In the fine dining sector of the business, if you don’t have a return customer, you’re not going to make it. People who venture out to buy an expensive meal don’t want to risk disappointment. They return to a restaurant they know can provide a quality dining experience. Our repeat customers were our life blood during our 12 years.”

Shroyer also wanted to provide much of the restaurant’s success over the years to his business partner and Chef, Chae Donohue. “Chae was the creative force behind our food. He was the most dialed in chef and kitchen guy that you can imagine. It was HIS food, I’ll put it that way. Yes, I managed the day to day business stuff, kept stuff repaired, and I was sort of the creative force behind the concept, but none of our success could have happened without Chef Chae in the kitchen. He’s a food genius, and he was a master with that.”

Going forward, Shroyer said he’s not sure what the next chapter of his life will be. “Honestly I can’t say,” Shroyer said. “I’m going to take a few months to explore my options and see what’s out there. I have a big network of friends, a large family, and I’ve lived and worked around the country. I’m not afraid of adventure, let me put it that way. I plan to stay active. I have no plans to retire.”

Shroyer said he will miss the daily interaction he had with diners as they celebrated their special occasions at Creek Road Café. “My best memories were hosting people as they celebrated the special milestones in their lives. That’s what I’m the most proud of.”

Visitors Bureau President and CEO Pam Owens said of the restaurant’s closing, “It is truly a great loss; in many ways Creek Road Café has been a symbol of our city’s hospitality. Carl Shroyer and Chae Donahue brought a new vision to Dripping Springs; great food along with excellent service and beautiful presentation. Creek Road Café has been a great place for a business lunch as well as a special destination for dinner. ”