The dining options in downtown Waco dwindled slightly over the weekend as Billy Garrett opted to close Garrett's Casual Fine Dining.
Garrett, who will continue to run Secret Chef, said he made the decision about a week ago and closed Garrett's on Saturday.
The problem, he said, was plain and simple — not enough traffic.
"I feel like there's a lot of people in Hewitt and Woodway who often feel like downtown is too far to go," Garrett said. "But they still want downtown to be there and to do well."
Garrett's opened on May 3 and the owner said the restaurant did good business for the first couple of months, allowing him to push through the summer and the high air-conditioning bills that came with it.
However, Garrett's didn't get much of a push from the beginning of the school year. Garrett pointed to the Margarita & Salsa Festival in late August and a string of evening Baylor football games as factors that kept people away from dining downtown on weekend nights.
Along with Secret Chef, Garrett is weighing his options for another restaurant.
"We're considering other opportunities for that location," he said. "But we're also considering the possibility of leaving there."
A sign posted at Garrett's announcing the closing also indicated that HOT Trib deals purchased for Garrett's can be redeemed at Secret Chef.
One more bite (Chad's take): I'm sure some people will take this opportunity to point out that Waco can't support fine dining. I don't think that's fair. Fat Ho Burger closed recently, but it's not like Waco won't support burger joints. My gut tells me Garrett's was a victim of bad timing.
