DRIFTWOOD — Nearly 11 years ago, Travis and Tamra Tindol were driving down FM 150 when they spotted the closed-down Hays City Store convenience shop. Turning to each other, they asked, “Why don’t we make a little cafe here,” and the rest is history, said the pair. Now, the restaurant is celebrating its 10-year anniversary.

The two were initially managing separate restaurants, with Tamra in Austin and Travis in Dripping Springs, when they decided to open a business together.

“A month or two after we moved to the area, [a convenient store by the same name] closed down. It was kind of a disappointment for everybody that lived in the area because we kind of relied on it,” said Tamra. “So, we reached out to the person that owned it at the time … [and] he agreed to sell us the property [in October 2014].”

Tamra revealed that because the couple hadn’t done anything before in the area, banks wouldn’t loan to them, so the initial budget was extremely small and consisted of their own savings, along with donations from friends and family.

It was several months later, in March 2015, when the restaurant officially opened, sharing the same name as its predecessor. According to Travis, community members would always refer to it as Hays City Store because that’s what they knew it as, so they felt no need to change it.

The goal of the restaurant was to serve Texas comfort food, said Tamra, with something for everyone.

“We also did a list of all the surrounding communities — Wimberley, Dripping [Springs], Driftwood, Kyle, Buda — and every restaurant and what they offered and what they didn’t,” Travis explained. “We designed it for a family, like grandma and grandpa and then, mom and dad and the kids and there was something for everybody on the menu.”

Their suggestions from the menu include the chicken-fried steak, truck stop enchiladas, fried shrimp and the bone-in pork chops for Travis or the new Greek salad, fried shrimp and a simple burger for Tamra.

In those weeks leading up to the opening, Tamra and Travis spent hours in the kitchen perfecting recipes and testing entrees, though when it finally came time for their family and friends soft opening, it didn’t go as planned: “It was kind of a mess … The plan was to produce what we were going to do with our kitchen staff, but there was a problem with the gas, so we couldn’t turn on our equipment,” said Tamra.

Instead of its traditional menu items, Tamra rushed to make carne asada and charcuterie boards. Despite this, it was still memorable and a happy moment, as just two days later, it officially opened for business.

The wait times were long and the staff was unpracticed, but the community members that showed up were gracious and extremely supportive and the next day they got better and then, the day after, they got even better and so, it continued.

Although the two crafted many of the recipes themselves, Travis and Tamra often stuck to the front of house duties, such as making sure customers were happy and ensuring food got to the right tables.

It was more than 10 months before the owners had a day off, as they were regulating the business and entrusting new responsibilities in staff members. Now, after significant growth — from 90 seats to 323, adding an ice house and additional patio space — Travis and Tamra were able to step back and split their time between Hays City Store and their new business venture, TasTe on Main in Buda.

Over the past 10 years, there have been numerous memories at the store that stick with them, but they all have one common theme: bringing the community together to provide a safe space.

“There was some company that was wanting to source a lot of water from the Trinity Aquifer, which is where we are, and water is a big deal in the Hill Country, as it should be. So, a lot of the neighbors came into the parking lot and they had signs and they had this big event. We got to know a lot of people who are now our regulars through that,” said Tamra.

There was also the Memorial Day flood of 2015, which occurred only three months following the opening of their store.

“It was very emotional. It was a Saturday night and I remember vividly — I remember even some of the people that were in the restaurant — it was just coming down, cats and dogs,” recalled Travis. “We woke up the next day to disaster. You had some people come in and … they just had this kind of 1,000 yard stare, just like, ‘What happened to me?’ … [It was just] getting to know people and that was really an awesome thing to see the Wimberley Valley community come around and support.”

The restaurant also survived the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many small businesses to shut down. Because all of their money was invested into Hays City Store, the duo had to be strategic, so they began delivering to homes within a 20-mile radius and when protocols lightened, they offered take-out food for residents. Tamra noted that people would buy their food and eat it in their cars in the parking lot, as they were simply so grateful to be out of the house. The restaurant being open gave them something to look forward to, to see the faces of other community members, even if it was only through their car window.

“Aside from that, one of my favorite things about being there for 10 years and being in the smaller community, which has now grown quite a bit, but we’ve seen relationships blossom. We’ve seen couples come together. We’ve seen young children being brought into the world and now, they’re in high school or employees that were teenagers when they started working for us are now married with children or finished with college, just seeing where their lives have gone,” Tamra said.

For the restaurant’s 10-year anniversary, Travis has booked 10 live performances for the “Ten Days of Hays,” which runs March 7-16, and includes performances by Anamé Rose, Mickey & the Motorcars, Dale Watson, Two Tons of Steel, Vallejo, Ian Moore, The Derailers, Scotty Alexander, Suede and LC Rocks.

“We’ve had people ask how they can get tickets to the music and we’re not selling tickets to the music. Everything else is as always. You have your dinner, your lunch here [and watch the show]. We’ve also asked people to bring lawn chairs if they’re coming to hang out … That way everybody can enjoy and just have a community picnic party,” Travis explained.

There will also be community-submitted photos throughout the decade rotating on the television screens in the building.

Additionally, a fan favorite — the sausage board, filled with local sausage, housemate pickles and jalapeños, pimento cheese and crackers — will be returning for the 10-day celebration.

In the future, Travis and Tamra hope to keep doing what they’re doing and evolving the restaurant.

“Overall, we are so grateful to be a part of the community. We were lucky to get the property when we did and it was kind of really before the boom of the county and we’ve felt like we’ve grown up with the growth of the county around us … We’ve met so many great people and so, it’s heartwarming to walk around and see people visiting,” concluded Travis.

For more information on the Ten Days of Hays or Hays City Store, located at 8989 FM 150 in Driftwood, visit www.hayscitystoretx.com.