Audio Reporter Mia Chiessa uncovers the stories behind Dirty Martin’s, a classic restaurant in the UT and Austin communities, and explores what makes this place so special.

Reported and produced by Mia Chiessa. Edited by Drew Kampf. Cover art by Merideth Weddle. Music by Blue Dot Sessions.

Mia Chiessa: Welcome to Exploring Old Austin, where we learn about some of Austin’s oldest businesses and how they have shaped Austin and UT culture. I’m your host, Mia Chiessa, and today we will talk about a restaurant that has captured the hearts of UT students for 99 years, Dirty Martin’s.

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Dirty Martin’s was founded in 1926 by John Martin and has remained at the same location since. General Manager Daniel Young talks about what the restaurant looked like in the beginning.

Daniel Young: The original, like blueprint of the restaurant was just the, the front portion, which is, was made up of eight bar stools and a grill. So, you would basically just come in and sit at the bar stools. Actually, back then the, the front, which is now a parking lot, was like a, there was houses, there was a neighborhood all around.

Chiessa: During the 10 years that Daniel has been working at Dirty Martin’s, UT students and faculty have made up a big portion of the restaurant’s business as well as…

Young: …the, uh, generations of families that have been coming here in regulars. We’re very fortunate that, um, it, uh, we can spread out among all the different demographics, college students to local Austinites, that just keep coming week after week.

Chiessa: The generational appeal of Dirty Martin’s is a part of what makes the restaurant so special.

Young: It’s cool to think that, you know, there were UT students coming here a hundred years ago almost. So it’s like we’ll have, uh, every once in a while we’ll get into a, a, a table family here that has four generations of, of, of, um, you know, alumni and maybe a current student that has a mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, and, and great grandparents that all went to UT, all came to Dirty’s. So it’s very recognizable, I think for alumni to come back and like, “Oh wow, Dirty’s. That’s still there? I can can’t believe it.” I think we’re the only restaurant I think that could say that. And we’re the second oldest restaurant in Austin.

Chiessa: In 2020, the city of Austin had residents vote for whether or not they wanted Project Connect, a light rail plan to bring in more public transportation. The plan was passed, but the city later announced that the track would cut through Dirty’s. This would have effectively shut down the business. 

Young: We thought we were just sort of done for. Um, Mark Niemer, who’s the owner and myself, kind of sat on the news for a while. We didn’t tell anyone. It was basically an imminent domain thing where the, the government can come in and just seize your land and you don’t—But, um, it was March the next year, 2022, where I just decided like, let’s try to fight this. I didn’t know what, what really direction to go, but I, I did, I was able to start a petition online. And the first weekend that the petition launched, we had already had five or 6,000 like signatures just right off the bat, and it just grew and grew and grew. And then it became a big thing to a lot of people. By the end of it, we had almost 30,000 signatures.

Chiessa: A big reason that Dirty’s was able to be saved was through a savvy marketing campaign and the power of the people.

Young: Yeah. I don’t know if you’ve seen the banners around campus. The Save Dirty’s banners. That was just something me and my marketing manager was like, let’s just give, I was giving those banners away, you know, just if anybody wants to hang this. And it kind of became like a cult, something you’d see in a movie.

Chiessa: Daniel, while a supporter of transit thought it was important to…

Young: …keep some of the heritage, some of the soul of the city. Um, but we, people got involved. Some lawyers got involved. Um, it, it was a fight. Um, but eventually the, um, the people in control of the Project Connect decided, uh, to reroute the train down the middle of the street. I think it’s a lot less expensive and, uh, maybe they heard our voices like they don’t necessarily need this parcel of land. As the Project stands now, it’s, I think it’s still up in the air.

Chiessa: Dirty Martin’s campaign against this project revealed its resilience and its central place in the community.

Young: We fought off the city when they were trying to put a train through us. We’re like the little engine that could, and it’s a, you know, we have strong backbone people and supporters that have, really keep us going.

Chiessa: Dirty Martin’s is very intertwined with UT. The restaurant is filled with Longhorn memorabilia and UT students have kept it alive for 99 years. Daniel explains why he thinks that UT students seem to gravitate towards the burger joint.

Young: Man. Uh, I, I mean, I think they can hopefully like feel the love and the ambiance and the music and the connectivity of, you know, being a Longhorn, the food, you know, I’m not saying we have the best hamburger in Austin, but I think it’s more about like the, I think it’s a really good burger quality if we take a lot of pride in our food. But I think it’s the, uh, what I hope is that it’s like our welcoming staff and, you know, just a place to relax and have fun and, and just really feel the Longhorn spirit. That’s, that’s, that’s my goal. And the historical, and I mean old Austin, try to fill these walls with, you know, not only like historic, but like if, if there’s a group of UT students that comes a lot, “Hey, do you guys want your picture on the wall? Done.” Like that’s, you know, I want it to be very, uh, diverse and inclusive and, and, and, you know, welcoming of the whole UT student body faculty.

Chiessa: Loyal customers have sustained Dirty Martin’s, but also loyal workers. Will has been working at Dirty Martin’s for nearly 30 years and is well known by Dirty Martin’s customers.

William Colvin: I’m William Colvin Jr. They call me Will here at Dirty’s. Uh, I’ve been a cook here for almost 30 years, or 28 and a half. Um, I love it here. Uh, it’s, it’s my home away from home.

Chiessa: Will explains why he thinks that Dirty’s has been able to stay open all these years. 

Colvin: We’ve been consistent. Uh, we’ve been consistent since I’ve been here and well before I arrived. Uh, that’s it. It it’s like the, the heartbeat, you know, of the nostalgia of being downtown Austin. It has so many, uh, uh, memories. Uh, it has so many, uh, uh, uh, avenues to where, uh, we’ve had from the White House to the NFL to the movie stars.

Chiessa: More importantly…

Colvin: No, but, uh, it’s the people. It’s, it’s the, the people that, uh, have met. Uh, when I first started, I didn’t think I would be here, but three months until I, you know, I, I was waiting to, and I thought, and then get me a better job and I was only gonna be here 90 days, which was three months. And then I fell in love with the place and the people, uh, I’ve watched kids that I used to come and talk to now have their own kids, you know, it’s crazy. And I’ve seen, uh, uh, the, the people, uh, bring their, their kids and then they bring their kids and they bring their kids. And, and I have these relationships with these people, uh, and it started here. You know, I, I, I wouldn’t have never met some of the people I’ve, uh, came in contact with my life. Uh, yeah. It is just amazing that, uh uh, I came to a place where, uh, I was not even known. And now that I, I have all these friends that I’ve, uh, established these relationships within the 30 years of me being here. It’s just amazing. So I I, I would really say it’s, it’s the people.

Chiessa: After almost 30 years at Dirty’s, Will recounts one of his favorite moments at the Burger joint.

Colvin: One of my favorite times and it was just, uh, well, it’s two is one when, uh, I, uh, got my 10 year plaque and how I was being celebrated. Uh, and I thought that was cool. It’s never happened to me before in my life, and people took it serious. And I had this plaque, which I still have at home today, and I have my, uh, 20th plaque, uh, it was a crystal, and I have that in on my chest at home, in my bedroom, in, and it’s, it’s, uh, it’s, it’s amazing, uh, that, um, you know, uh, that, that ones was celebrated as well. And it was a lot of people, we had food and they, they shut the back down for a little bit, but it’s, it’s so many. But those two stick out to me because it was me accomplishing something that I, I hadn’t, uh, accomplished before. And that’s having a consistent, uh, being consistent on a job as far as staying without quitting or what have you. And I have never been on a job that long. So, um, reaching 10 and then reaching 20, and now I’m, you know, almost at 29. So that’s, it’s, that’s, that would have to stand out. Just the first, I mean, off the top of my head.

Chiessa: Will also explains why people should go to Dirty’s.

Colvin: It’s, it’s a, like a cornerstone at Austin. You come to Austin, and this place has so much history. And you, to come into Austin and not go to Dirty’s is like, you know, uh, going to, uh, Walmart or HEB and just walking in and walking out. With what? It’s, you have to come and experience this for yourself. Like I’ve mentioned, the social media part is just one avenue, but the other one is experience. You want to come and experience and, and these people not only entertain you and feed you and you’ll leave and, uh, and you’ll want to come back. That’s our slogan, you know, Dirty Martin’s the “Kum-Bak Burger”, you know.

Chiessa: I also spoke to UT alum, longtime Dirty Martin’s customer and former 1984 to 1985 Daily Texan Editor in Chief, David Woodruff, who explains why he thinks Dirty’s has been around for almost a hundred years.

David Woodruff: All of us in various ways are, uh, are looking for the real. You can find it in lots of, in lots of ways, and this is one of the, this is one of the ways. It’s authentic and I, I think people want that.

Chiessa: David describes his personal connection to Dirty Martin’s.

Woodruff: Uh, a hundred years ago. It’s a lot to think about. My, uh, my grandfather came to school here in 1923. Uh, he died when I was pretty young, so I never asked him about Dirty’s. But to think that that was a—He and my grandmother didn’t graduate until the early thirties, and so it’s likely enough that they could have come here.

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Chiessa: This has been exploring Old Austin. The music in this episode is by Blue Dot Sessions. If you liked this episode, please make sure you subscribe to The Daily Texan on your streaming platform of choice, and check us out at thedailytexan.com. I’m Mia Chiessa. Thanks for listening.