Driving down East Austin Street in downtown Fredericksburg, the National Museum of the Pacific War beckons with its battle-ship grey exterior and sprawling campus. Across the road, children feast on burgers and ice cream sandwiches at Tubby’s Ice House, while friends gather over German fare and bottles of wine at Otto’s and La Bergerie.
In the last decade, this once-quiet enclave – along with others in downtown Fredericksburg – has experienced a renaissance thanks to the Washburne family, who left Dallas for the Hill Country in 2004. Shortly after their move, the family matriarch, Leslie Washburne, set up a cooking school to share her love of vegan and vegetarian cuisine with the community. Running a hotel wasn’t originally part of the plan, but when a twelve-bedroom inn called Hoffman Haus came available, she decided to invest.
Meanwhile, Leslie’s son, John, was studying at The University of Glasgow in Scotland. After graduation, he returned to Fredericksburg and married his wife, Evelyn, in 2012. Though the couple are partners today both personally and professionally, it took time for Evelyn, then twenty-three, to commit to their first restaurant concept. “I was not envisioning myself being in the hospitality industry at all,” says the Fredericksburg native. “I thought I wanted to be an attorney, but then I also had this creative passion for the fashion industry and retail, so I was trying to figure it out.”
While working at Crossroads Saloon & Steakhouse, John sparked a friendship with Chef Adam Yoho. Together, they remember looking at properties and imagining what they could be, from burger bars to gastropubs and taco stands, to name a few. When they stumbled on an old Christian bookstore located on East Austin Street, they decided to take a chance and start a restaurant serving genuine German cuisine.
“As an outsider, I just felt so inspired,” Evelyn shares. “The control freak in me was saying this is so risky, but watching my dad start his own business, and then working for small business owners, I knew there was magic there. There is a leap of faith and this incredible sense of ingenuity that is purpose-driven and community-driven. That’s what Otto’s started out as. When they were going to paint the walls celadon green, and I stopped them from doing that, I knew in my gut I wanted to join the ride.”
Since opening Otto’s in 2013, the couple has juggled raising their three young children and expanding the family’s portfolio, the latter of which has revitalized the downtown dining scene. Today, the Washburne’s company, Side Street Hospitality, includes seven different concepts, with properties like August E’s, Caliche Coffee Bar & Ranch Road Roasters, Tubby’s Ice House, La Bergerie, and their newest Italian restaurant, Alla Campagna.
With every new business, the family is focused on filling a need for the Fredericksburg community. Otto’s, for example, was inspired by John’s time abroad and the German cuisine he experienced during his college years in Europe. Tubby’s was conceived after noticing a void for a relaxed, kid-friendly restaurant in town. Then came the desire for a chic, central market to grab wine and cheese, followed by a community-centric coffee shop. Most recently, they opened the doors to Alla Campagna, a cozy Italian restaurant on Main Street. “Everything has been organic,” John says. “My evolution has been about doing the best we can as far as sourcing, making good food, and trying to provide beautiful environments.”
In 2017, John’s sister, Sarah, officially joined the family business as CFO. Today, she handles human resources and finance, while John oversees the larger vision, and Evelyn executes the creative design. Meanwhile, Leslie continues to serve as the ‘spirit guide’ of Side Street Hospitality. “Each of us has a specific skillset that we bring to the businesses that is very complimentary,” Sarah says. Though their jobs are specialized, the family has a collaborative, all-hands-on-deck mentality, and even works with a business communication coach, who mentors their management team. “The hardest thing is to make sure we communicate,” John adds. “It is the same with any family, whether it’s business or not, just ensuring everyone feels heard.”
During the pandemic, that foundational support and fluid communication were paramount as the Washburne’s weathered unprecedented times in the hospitality industry. While Evelyn says she learned everything about online ordering, Sarah navigated the ever-changing financial landscape, and John dedicated himself to being a steady presence for their team.
The experience undoubtedly brought the family closer together. Furthermore, as Fredericksburg continues to grow, the Washburnes have been proactive about giving back and embracing change. “To dig your heels in, that doesn’t grow a healthy, vibrant community,” Evelyn explains. “Instead of having a seat at the table, you are road-blocking, so I think working together is very powerful and affirming.”
Sarah agrees. “As Fredericksburg has grown, we have grown with it. However, we haven’t been passive in that growth,” she says. “Our community involvement is very important to us.”
Also important is Side Street’s thoughtful stewardship of the spaces they call home. “It has always been location first,” John says of their business development strategy. “The space sort of tells you what it needs.” In the process of breathing new life into historic buildings, the family is also celebrating the layers of history and heritage that came before them. For example, their most kid-friendly restaurant, Tubby’s Ice House, was the former home to a family of nine children.
Their latest opening, Alla Campagna, is housed in an 1870s building with its own stories to tell. Years ago, the structure was home to a beloved local restaurant called Cuvee. When the Washburne’s first moved to town, it was there that they met many of their new friends. Sarah Washburne even waited tables there once upon a time, and Evelyn remembers stopping in as a kid to buy fresh bread with her weekly chore money. “This space has always been really special to us in different ways,” she explains. “It is fun to have those memories that are unique to us individually.”
As with their previous projects, Evelyn oversaw the creative design at Alla Campagna, traveling to Round Top and High Point to source furnishings and décor. Today, the spacious dining room boasts big stone walls hung with an assortment of collected paintings and colorful artworks. With a glass of wine and a bowl of house made pasta, it is easy to feel transported to an old family villa in the Italian countryside. “I have to interpret what is in John’s head,” Evelyn explains of her interior execution. “We have worked really well together in that capacity, and we do have similar tastes, but we are always willing to take risks and try something new.”
Admittedly, Side Street Hospitality would not be the success it is today without the team of roughly one-hundred-twenty employees who work there. Whether it is the baristas at Caliche Coffee Bar or the bartenders at Otto’s and August E’s, locals and visitors alike have come to know and love the Side Street team over the years. “Our employees are the true rockstars of the hospitality group,” Evelyn says, adding that while people may think of their restaurants first, it was Hoffman Haus that started it all. “I don’t think we would have lasted in the Fredericksburg market if there wasn’t some level of authenticity,” she shares. “People want to see that you are working, and it isn’t this flippant thing. John earned a lot of respect and trust – we all have through our work.”
Looking forward, the family has big plans to continue expanding their portfolio while adding value in their community. Among those ideas are more restaurants, new retail concepts, and a potential entertainment venue. No matter what they do, however, the family says they will continue to be very intentional about providing gracious, warm, and welcoming hospitality in the Texas Hill Country.
“I don’t think we would be doing this if it wasn’t fun, and we are obviously still having fun, which is why we continue to grow,” Evelyn explains. “We are really trying to create a culture that is joyful, and I think guests get to experience that joyfulness too.”