Moody’s Kitchen and Bar on Guadalupe Street closed Jan. 29 after a mutual decision was made by the owners, a Moody’s spokesperson said in an email. 1972: ATX Women’s Sports Pub, a bar playing all women’s sports, is set to open its doors at the same location in March.
“We all have other plans and decided closing Moody’s was the best option at the moment,” the spokesperson said. “It was a hard decision, but we think it was the right decision for us.”
Julia Alaniz, Moody’s former bartender and social media manager, said the main reason why the establishment closed down is because its main owner will start a new project outside of the country. When she found out Moody’s would close, Alaniz said she felt disappointed.
“I had a vision of what Moody’s could be,” advertising junior Alaniz said. “I really wanted to rebrand that bar, (and) I wanted to put a lot of money into it, take time to close over the summer (and) do renovations and then have a campaign where it reopened.”
Alaniz said she will miss her coworkers and Moody’s atmosphere. She said she worked there since she was a freshman and over time, developed a strong connection with employees and the business’ main owner.
“The other day, I really wanted to study there,” Alaniz said. “Between classes I would walk through and say ‘Hey.’ It was a very impactful part of my college experience … and it meant a lot to other people too.”
Maria Jimenez, a supply chain management sophomore, said she went to Moody’s a couple of times a month to hangout with friends and that the shutdown was unexpected.
“(I’m going to miss) karaoke nights, those are my favorite,” Jimenez said. “I was never a really outgoing person until I started going to karaoke nights.”
A day after Moody’s closed, 1972: ATX Women’s Sports Pub received the keys to the location. Pub co-owner Debra Hallum said she and her wife had been looking for a place to open their business for almost a year. Their realtor told them about Moody’s shutting down and the couple decided to check it out, she said.
“When we first found out about it, I immediately went ‘That’s really at the edge of campus,’ but then we came and saw how quickly it would be for us to turn it around,” Hallum said. “It’s a bonus for us that we’re right here at campus. We’re excited about that.”
Hallum said the business will broadcast all women’s sports, including Texas Athletics games.
“What we’re trying to do is something about women’s equality,” Hallum said. “There are some of these pubs across the country who are hybrid and they are showing both (women and men’s sports), but we want to be known for women’s sports and taking a stand in that regard.”
The pub is expected to open in March and will offer food, along with both alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks, Hallum said. Despite being a women’s sports bar, she said everyone, regardless of gender identity, is welcome to come.
“You’re going to find this wonderful community that simply loves women’s sports and wants to support women,” Hallum said. “If that’s something that’s appealing to you, you should come check this out.”
