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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, El Mercado in Austin is celebrating its 40th |
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anniversary on August 13, 2025; and |
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WHEREAS, Established by the Villegas family in 1985, |
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El Mercado originated as a Mexican market on South First Street, |
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just blocks from their home in a corridor that was largely |
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residential; customers who came in for masa, spices, and other |
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groceries could also pick up food prepared in a small kitchen; and |
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WHEREAS, The popularity of its Tex-Mex dishes led Camilo |
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Villegas and his son, Tony, to clear out some shelves and add |
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seating for diners; they ultimately transitioned to exclusively |
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offering restaurant service and added patio dining; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1990, the restaurant opened another location on |
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Burnet Road in North Austin, and three years later, it expanded to a |
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site on Lavaca Street, near the State Capitol; at one point, the |
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Villegas family operated five locations; and |
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WHEREAS, Camilo Villegas greeted customers and took care of |
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any repairs until he died in 2007, at the age of 82; his wife, |
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Gudelia Villasana Villegas, continued to drive herself to work at |
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the restaurant's office, and she passed away in 2019 at the age of |
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92; rising real estate values downtown prompted the sale of the |
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El Mercado site on Lavaca in 2022, and the employees there |
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transferred to other locations; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, Tony Villegas remains an able steward of the |
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company's two oldest restaurants; El Mercado South also encompasses |
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a popular live music venue, the Backstage, where long-running |
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residencies include the Monday Night Supper Club, Durawa Tuesdays, |
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and the Purgatory Players gospel brunch, which raises funds for the |
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Central Texas Food Bank; and |
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WHEREAS, While the Austin restaurant scene has changed |
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dramatically over the course of four decades, El Mercado remains |
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one of its stalwarts, to the great delight of its loyal following |
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among fans of both Tex-Mex cuisine and local music; now, therefore, |
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be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby congratulate El Mercado on |
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its 40th anniversary and extend to Tony Villegas and all those |
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associated with the restaurant sincere best wishes for continued |
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success; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the restaurant as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |