The Austin Club

This is a private club, but to maintain the 501c3, they have to be open to the public a certain number of hours monthly. But the vibe is exclusive old Austin. Clearly, there are not many rich old Austinites enjoying the club. Unlike the private clubs outside of the city. The staff is exceptional. I was there for the public brunch, which was delicious, though staff outnumbered customers.

My husband and I held our wedding reception at the Austin Club in December 2024, and despite a beautiful day, our experience with the venue management was overwhelmingly negative. The inefficiency and lack of professionalism from the Catering Director, Sarah, and Club Manager, Paul, both of whom have been employed at the venue a little over a year, added significant stress in the days leading up to and morning of our wedding. Once the event started, however, the food, servers, and bartenders were outstanding - we thank them from the bottom of our hearts for turning things around for us. We encountered numerous organizational issues: written errors in communication from the venue about reception set-up times that resulted in unnecessary accommodation costs for friends and loved ones and forced me to cancel hair and make-up appointments the morning of the wedding; unannounced road closures on the wedding day causing logistical nightmares (that management was aware of in advance, but did not mention); unexpected fees, poor customer service/interpersonal skills, and several other management failures. Such problems forced us to take on extensive last-minute coordination tasks that were rightly the responsibility of the venue. Unfortunately, management demonstrated little concern or accountability when confronted about each challenge that we faced. In fact, the Club Manager later threw the Catering Director under the bus, claiming each issue was ‘all her fault’. Additionally, we experienced various smaller issues: broken ballroom decor not attended to despite repeated requests, incorrect billing, and inappropriate behavior and remarks from management that demonstrated a concerning lack of respect for our event. We were even forced to address an inadequately handled invoice in the middle of the reception, further evidence of the disorganization that characterized our dealings with the venue. Ultimately, the Austin Club issued a minor refund, though we felt this fell short of compensating for the array of issues, emotional strain, and the resulting costs. We advise others to consider alternative venues, as the management at Austin Club significantly tainted our experience. Nonetheless, we choose to cherish the joyous memories of our day, made possible by supportive family, friends, serving/bartending staff, and other wonderful vendors.