Since early Friday morning “Pappy” Jack Allen, the owner of Pappy’s Bar and Grill in Austin, has been playing electric guitar and living on the roof of his restaurant in an effort to attract attention to his struggling business, which opened September 1.
KXAN, the NBC affiliate in Austin, found Allen cranking out licks even on a dark and stormy night. “The money is just not there for advertising, so, I decided to get loud and crazy . . . it is a desperate measure,” he told the station.
While it won’t help him sell smoked burgers, the story was quickly picked up by CNBC.com and Denver’s NBC affiliate 9News.
“That sounds like a Texas thing, doesn’t it,” 9News’ anchor said of the restaurant’s name, which perhaps explains why the University of Colorado is now in the Pac-12 with all those California schools.
9News also used the headline, “Restaurant owner drums up business – literally.” But as Andrea Grimes of Eater Austin noted, that is literally not correct.
Allen told KXAN if business didn’t pick up he would probably close the restaurant by year’s end. “I am hoping for a happy ending like It’s a Wonderful Life,” he said.
Barring that, perhaps one of Austin’s many filmmakers will option Allen’s story for a screenplay?
Below, KXAN’s story:
