Former Town Hearth frontman Austin Rodgers gives an exclusive first peek at Alamo Club, his first solo venture

Former Town Hearth frontman Austin Rodgers is deep into construction on his first new venture as owner, operator, financier and restaurateur.

“It seems like I’ve been preparing for this since I was a kid and thought about opening a food truck when I was 19,” Rodgers told me. “I told Nick (Badovinus) when I joined him years ago that one day I wanted to open my own place. It’s finally time to do my own thing.”

Now, he’s busy transforming the former Blind Butcher on Lower Greenville Avenue into Alamo Club, a casual neighborhood restaurant that Rodgers says he thinks will be a good fit for area residents.

“As soon as Blind Butcher announced they were closing, I jumped on the phone and said ‘I want that space.'”

He’s targeting early Spring for Alamo Club’s opening.

“The space reminds me of New York or Chicago. I want it to feel like Neighborhood Services bar on Lovers Lane and Au Cheval in Chicago. Old-school places where you can get great food and hang out,” Rodgers told me. “It has a small kitchen so we want a tight menu – steaks, burgers, salads, pastas – food people crave. We want to serve the neighborhood, so that means late night and happy hour crowds, weekend brunch, a place you can go to seven days a week.”