Last time out: Tolly’s closing June 28
Published 10:37 am Thursday, June 19, 2014
The sign for Tolly’s Time Out at the intersection of Oakland Avenue West and 14th Street in January of 2013. Tolly’s is closing June 28. — Herald file photo
An Austin business with about three decades of history in Austin is closing its doors.
Tolly’s Time Out, 100 14th St. SW, will close June 28 due to a lack of business.
“We’re extremely sad about having to close,” co-owner Geri Olson said.
Olson and her boyfriend, Brian Tollefson, opened the restaurant on Jan. 29, 2013. Brian’s father, Dave, opened Tolly’s in 1984 and passed away in 2009.
After Dave, the restaurant went through several owners in recent years. Jim Herrick bought it in 2006, kept the same menu for four years, but turned it into an Italian diner with a large wine selection for the final two years before closing in May 2011. Then in December 2011, Julie Johnson opened it again, renamed it Home Plate and used a baseball theme, but it closed again by April 2012. Then, Brian and Olson decided to go back to the original format.
While Olson was thankful for their core of regular customers, she said the restaurant didn’t have enough community support.
“It’s hard to run a business off of your regulars,” Olson said. “You have to bring in new business.”
