Business leaders meet for breakfast talk
Hospitality and downtown updates
Members of the Georgetown business community gathered Tuesday, September 24, to discuss hospitality philosophy and to learn about various updates across the area.
Restaurateur couple Rachel and Kevin Cummins – who own Sweet Lemon Kitchen and City Post Chophouse — were the main speakers durning Chamber of Commerce’s Breakfast Bites & Downtown Lowdown event.
Both restaurants are located in historic downtown structures that were restored, something that ties them into the community. Ms. Cummins spoke about how she acts as a business owner to create a culture that reflects the restaurant’s goals.
“We really wanted to demonstrate God’s love,” Mr. Cummins said. “By serving people well with excellent hospitality in memorable spaces— to enrich lives and create community.”
They said they have gone about managing their restaurants with that higher purpose in mind. They take care of their employees in a manner that they hope is replicated when their employees serve customers.
“We try to create this space where people feel validated, where they can thrive.” Ms. Cummins said. “Where single moms or working mothers can come and have a great day. When they have a great day, people who come into the restaurant have a good day. It just sort of trickles down.”
The presentation “Genuine Hospitality: Creating Community Connections with Chef Adrian Corkhill” covered how the chef has been an integral part in creating the employee atmosphere the Cummins wish to cultivate at their shared businesses.
Mr. Corkill, the City Post Chophouse chef and general manager, moved to Georgetown from Denver in 2006, and watched Georgetown’s revitalization through the Main Street Program. He said he encourages his team to be the best they can be and treat people with respect.
“Our mission statement at City Post is to create a memorable experience for our guests, our teams, our community and our partners through genuine hospitality, quality and consistency,” Mr. Corkill said. “What this really means is do the right thing and treat people well.”
In an effort to give back to the community this fall, Mr. Cummins said the couple will be “feeding the needy” at the Georgetown Library by partnering with other donating local businesses the day after Thanksgiving.
Mr. Cummins also provided an update about the City Post Chophouse Speakeasy. He said the final inspection is happening this week, and they are “weeks, not months” away from opening. An official date has not been set.
Other discussion points
The following updates were also discussed at the meeting.
Amanda Still, Georgetown’s arts and culture program manager, said that in honor of National Arts & Humanities Month, the city will be hosting a variety of art events. Information about these can be found on the city website, https://visit.georgetown.org/arts/index.php. She also said there will be three new sculptures added to the sculpture tour this year. The city has purchased a new sculpture to put in front of city hall.
The Georgetown Engineering Department announced that repaving work downtown will wrap up in mid October. Work associated with the sidewalk program that began over the summer will also be wrapping up.
Construction of the city parking garage on Sixth Street is underway. When built, the garage will add 300 parking spots to the downtown area. Crews are working the ground level, while four decks will be added for a total of five levels of parking. The parking garage will be completed October of 2025.
Georgetown is set to renew its contract with Texas Disposal Systems in November. City staff are working on redesigning and increasing the solid waste easement space in the downtown alley behind City Post Chophouse and the Williamson County Sun office.
There will be a city string light recycling drop-point in the parking lot outside of the library after Thanksgiving this year until to the end of January.
Kim McAuliffe, the downtown and tourism director, said tickets for Shop Small Saturday, scheduled just after Thanksgiving, go on sale October 1. This event features the annual Coffee & Cocoa Crawl. Tickets are $20 and money is reinvested in the downtown revitalization efforts.
GISD Communcations Director Melinda Brasher said that the East View High School theater department obtained the rights to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.The play will run the last weekend of October and tickets are expected to sell out. She announced that the district’s enrollment is 13,834 students as of last week, about 300 more than they had in May.
Architect Trent Jacobs said that the county is planning to do more community outreach. They want to make sure that people who are curious about the land and buildings downtown know that they can contact them.
Downtown Georgetown Association president Tammey Stockley provided a few updates for downtown activities. First Friday Music on the Square has been relocated to Founder’s Park for the next couple months due to work on the courthouse lawn. The group has also renamed the annual Boo Bash to the Candy Stroll. The free event will take place Sunday, October 27 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Trick-or-treaters who enter participating shops and restaurants around the Square will receive treats. The Christmas Stroll this year will be Friday, December 6 from 4-10 p.m., Saturday, December 7, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, December 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Cattlemen’s Ball is scheduled for October 3 at Kalahari.
- The Williamson County Art Guild is celebrating the first anniversary of the gallery on 708 Rock Street with a special art reception from 5-8 p.m. October 4. There will be live music, a cash bar and sweets from Sugar Mommy’s Bakehouse. This past year, the group sold over $30,000 in art sales, including more than 200 art pieces and numerous art prints.