'Players' is Coming Back to Downtown Austin

Players burger restaurant is coming back to downtown after the University of Texas campus bar closed its doors on Nov. 24, 2014.

The Austin City Council approved a contract with Players Concessions Inc. that gives the popular eatery permission to serve food and drinks from the Zilker Park Cafe, which has been on the Zilker Park grounds since the 1960s.

According to city documents, the restaurant will bring back some of its original menu items while also adding new, healthier options. “The menu will include items historically associated with the concession, including burgers, snow cones, ice cream, juices, sodas, as well as other drinks and snacks. In addition, Players will provide a selection of healthy menu items as an alternative to standard concession fare at an affordable price,” said the city document outlining the proposal.

Players was the place-to-be for college students craving late-night burgers and beers since its opening in 1981. Initially, in 2012, Players owners and university officials came to an agreement to keep the restaurant operating that was brokered by the McCombs School of Business Foundation. The restaurant owners were paid $3 million cash and given a lease valued at $1 million, which they could operate under rent-free for up to 10 years. The doors closed sooner than expected, though, to make way for a new business school building.

The restaurant will be open daily from 10 a.m. until sunset.

[Photo: Yelp]