Business, Kyle
The Railhouse makes comeback under new management
By Sahar Chmais
KYLE – The Railhouse is coming back and bringing with it live music, bbq, family entertainment and late night outings.
The establishment opens its doors on Thursday, Sept. 23.
After owners announced permanent closure, citing COVID-19 and “other factors,” the Railhouse sat untouched for 18 months – until Flip Lockhoof, owner, Trevor Fletcher, part-owner and director of operations, and others decided to invest in the bar.
“We own two bars in Austin, but we fell in love with Kyle,” Lockhoof said. “Everyone has been so welcoming and everyone has been great at helping us out. The reaction on social media has been unbelievable.”
The two said they want to bring a nice family establishment to town, so kids will be allowed in until 9 p.m. Residents will also enjoy eating house-made bbq, a full bar, sports on large television screens and drop down projectors, indoor games such as shuffleboard and pool, fire pits outdoors and live music.
Their typical concert will welcome 500 attendees, but once a month, the bar will host a larger show, welcoming between 1,500 to 2,000 attendees, Lockhoof said.
They have already booked music events throughout September and October with a variety of local artists.
September will feature the following artists, including Broken Arrow, voted as the best band for Best of North Hays County:
- Thursday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. – Straw Dawg & the Wolves
- Friday, Sept. 24 at 5 p.m. – Van Wilks & Brodie Lane
- Saturday, Sept. 25 at 7:30 p.m. – Broken Arrow Band
- Sunday, Sept. 26 at 5 p.m. – George Mercado Band
- Thursday, Sept. 30 at 7 pm. – Janie Balderas Band
The new owners said they have taken many measures to ensure top safety for customers, especially during live music crowds.
Measures include bar security and keeping an eye out on people who may not be able to drive safely and requesting an Uber for them. Additionally, the management has met with the Kyle Police Chief, Captain and Lieutenant about getting help if there is ever an issue.
“I think the Kyle partnership with Uber is awesome,” Fletcher said. “We’re going to do our best to utilize that as much as possible.”
Lockhoof added that they will not allow guns at the bar, regardless of the state laws, saying he does not want guns and liquor to be mixed.
“I want my girlfriend and kids, patrons and their wives to be comfortable here by themselves or with their significant others, so we will be very hard on security,” Lockhoof said. “We will run people out that don’t fit the mold in terms of being a nice environment.”
