SAN ANTONIO — Augustine 'Augie' Cortez has operated Augie's Alamo City Barbecue Steakhouse on Broadway for the past decade. The owner announced on Facebook that Sunday, March 3, will be the last day the Broadway location will be open.
For the past four years, Cortez explained customers have had to navigate construction to get to the location.
"There's other businesses, respectfully, that have different sources of revenue to be able to make sure that they stay afloat and keep things working," Cortez said. "In the restaurant business. On the other hand, we depend on a lot of people to come in and out, and so without accessibility to get here, that's what makes it difficult."
Anthony Zamora came to the Broadway location on Saturday to eat there one last time. While Zamora prefers the Broadway location as its bigger than the location on St. Mary's, and its closer to his home, he prefers not having to go through construction.
"I’m a part of a running group and we have meetups either here or at some of the businesses back here and its deterred a lot of people because it’s just so hard to get down here," he said. "The parking’s terrible and the streets are being shut down.”
Since the construction on Broadway started in 2020, Cortez says he has advocated for his business, bringing up concerns to city leaders, asking for transparency and support.
"I feel 100% let down by the city," he said. "At this point. I look like the bad guy in front of our mayor and our city manager. Obviously, because of some of my approaches. Yes, I was a little hot in anger, but who in their right mind wouldn't be upset knowing that there's going to be four years of difficulties trying to earn your living for your employees and your livelihood?"
Cortez has received grants following the pandemic, though he argues they're not enough to sustain a business . He explains he was rejected after he was encouraged to apply to some grants related to construction.
" I did receive the $35,000 and we're thankful that the city put that in a budget and they had just a deal to kind of make that work," he said. "But add 365 days times four divided into $35,000, that comes out to about 20 for 25 bucks a day. And that's the problem with our upper city management. The management of the grant, the management of the street closure is where our city fails on making things right for local small businesses."
In a statement regarding the closure of Augie's Alamo City Barbecue, the city wrote:
"We understand that construction is inconvenient and that it affects area businesses. The City’s Public Works Department does its best to mitigate this impact by maintaining access to all businesses during construction, allowing two-way traffic whenever possible, communicating often through a variety of channels, and expediting construction as much as possible.
The City’s Economic Development Department offers support to businesses impacted by construction through a variety of resources and grant programs. This specific business was the recipient of multiple grants. For more information, visit https://www.sa.gov/files/assets/main/v/3/arpa/documents/reports/grant-summary-2020-2023.pdf
The Lower Broadway project is scheduled for completion this Summer. The current road closures south of 6th Street will reopen this Spring. Once complete, Lower Broadway and the surrounding area will be a better experience for drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and businesses and their customers.
Communication with the public and stakeholders includes biweekly Lower Broadway stakeholder meetings, in-person visits, and regular updates via web, email, social media, and local media outreach. The City is also using Lower Broadway as the location for its chatbot prototype to communicate about the project and promote local businesses."
Cortez is frustrated and feels until something changes, small businesses going through what he has is inevitable.
"In our city budget, there is more plans on closing more streets, and by the time the city gets to you to let you know what's going to happen, it's too late," Cortez said. "The small businesses aren't going to be able to survive and hang through it. Under this mayor, this city manager, and his staff, I don’t recommend anybody going downtown and starting a small business.”
Augie's Alamo City Barbecue Steakhouse will be open for the last time on Sunday. After that, Augie's Barbed Wire Smokehouse location on 3709 N St. Mary's St will be the only location open.