When Elementary opened in July 2023, many people were curious about the concept. This “casual fine dining” restaurant and accompanying bar, called Hopscotch, promised Austinites a mix of whimsy and sophistication. It was meant to be a “love letter to your inner child,” encouraging guests to experiment, create, and be unashamedly themselves.

Those goals were achieved to some extent, but shortly after the first anniversary, owners Allan Bautista, Chris Arial and Colter Peck decided to close the elementary school for good. They announced the closure in a somewhat effusive Instagram video on Saturday, September 10.

In the days leading up to its closure, Elementary enjoyed a huge success, offering customers a discount if they dressed up for theme days during Spirit Week (just like back in school.) Thursday was Punk Day, Friday was Holi-Day, and Saturday was Prom Night. It was a fitting theme for the restaurant’s last night open, even if guests didn’t know it was a last hurrah when Spirit Week was first announced.

“Several factors helped management make this decision,” the team said in a statement a spokesperson shared with CultureMap. “Austin’s normally quieter summer season was exacerbated this year, significantly impacting our business as well as restaurants across the city,” they began.

But that’s not all. Rather than blaming the market entirely, the team is considering how the concept itself could benefit from a revamp.

“In response to valuable customer feedback, our team has made significant changes to the concept, menu, pricing and service style over the past year,” they continued. “After further analyzing trends in sales data and customer satisfaction surveys, we decided it would be best to close Elementary and use our resources to reinvent the space and concept overall to best suit Austin’s restaurant culture.”

Elementary first made a name for itself as a pop-up and eventually served dishes made from local ingredients with global influences in the categories of “intros, market, sea, pasta and protein”.

The connection to primary school and childlike wonder was perhaps unclear from the start and the aesthetic theme not entirely consistent with the menu – yet in the year since the opening, the food has spoken for itself.

You could draw a line from elementary school to the jazzed-up French toast and cereal-infused cocktails of elementary school—but for many guests, it was still a pretty big step.

Photo courtesy of Elementary

Chef Colter Peck served up rich dishes like scallop crudo, mashed potatoes, creamed peaches, gnocchi, the Elementary burger, and even a Wagyu flat iron. While the menu had all sorts of motifs, it was certainly delicious. In fact, Chef Colter Peck was voted a nominee for Chef of the Year in the recent CultureMap Tastemaker Awards by staff and past winners for his dishes at Elementary.

While the news is sad, the surprise is also tempered by the turbulent history of 2026 South Lamar Boulevard. In a small neighborhood of restaurants and bars near Oltorf, it has been notoriously difficult to get concepts through in this particular building.

Before Elementary opened its doors, 8-Bit Pizza occupied the space for a year; before that, it was Brooklyn Pie Co. (2019), and before that Henri’s Cheese and Wine (2012). After Henri’s closed in 2016 following a fire, the space sat vacant for years. Still, longevity is possible in the same parking lot that has housed both El Mesón Tequileria and the Golden Goose since 2010 and 2015, respectively.

The good news is that the bar next door, Hopscotch, will remain open and some of the dishes from the restaurant will continue to be served there. The team is also planning some pop-ups in the near future, such as an event with the Sober Supper Club on August 25.

Whatever Chef Colter Peck does next, his reputation so far promises that he’ll be serving up even more great food, hopefully with a more focused business strategy. Since he’s continued to partner with farmers markets after his pop-up days, it seems that fresh ingredients will always play a role.

For more information about the restaurant and team, visit elementaryatx.com.