If you’ve driven down North Burnet Road recently, you’ll notice that much of it has changed in the last decade. Where The Frisco once stood, with its large hamburger marquis, is a newly opened housing complex. The mini golf spot, known as Putt Putt, where neighborhood families spent their weekends, is now the combination bar and dog park Yard Bar.
Local restaurateur Kelly Chappell is doing his part to preserve some of the classic “old Austin” locations, such as Top Notch Burgers and Lala’s Little Nugget — or just Lala’s for those in the know.
"People's love for Austin and some of the weirder reasons for moving here are slowly diminishing," he said. Chappell's motivation is to preserve the charm and character that "keeps Austin weird."
Top Notch, which opened in 1971, has been the backdrop of several movies, TV shows and Hot Rod Drive-In nights featuring local rockabilly acts.
The iconic scene in Richard Linklater's cult classic “Dazed and Confused,” in which Matthew McConaughey delivers his often-quoted line, "Alright, alright, alright," was shot at the vintage carhop burger and fried chicken joint.
Chappell has been eating at Top Notch since he was a little boy. Born and raised in Austin, not far from the burger spot, he cut his teeth on Austin's Americana and Mexican restaurants.
"My first job was at Fuddruckers on Anderson Lane, where Cover 3 is now. My dad's backyard was right behind the Village Theater parking lot,” now, the Alamo Drafthouse’s Village location, Chappell said. "I wanted a job that I could hop the fence to get to. Fuddruckers paid $3.10 an hour, and Hastings paid $3 and didn't provide free meals. So, Fuddruckers it was."
Chappell and his longtime business partners Chris Courtney and Jay Bunda bought Top Notch in 2012. They brought back some items, such as fried okra, began accepting credit cards for the first time in its 53 years of existence and extended store hours. However, the iconic spot is much the same as it was before the sale.
“Accepting credit cards was a game changer,” he said. “The first sale using one went from a $12 purchase to an $85 one. The guy was so excited, he bought lunch for his whole office.”
Allowing credit card sales meant more profitability for the restaurant, which meant they could keep serving up their classic fried chicken and charbroiled hamburgers.
A staple in the local food and bar scene, Chappell shared countless stories about his experiences in the industry. On Halloween, at the age of 19, Chappell and a buddy ventured into the all-year Christmas bar, Lala's. He was dressed as the Swiss Miss Girl, with his hair in long pigtail braids and a gingham dress. He didn't exactly fit in with the military veterans who were in the smoke-filled dive bar, drinking bourbon, but he eventually earned the trust of its owner.
When it opened in 1972, Frances Lala's son shipped off to Vietnam. She put up Christmas decorations in the bar, intending to take them down when he returned. Unfortunately, he never made it home. She was too heartbroken to remove the decorations, according to Chappell.
In 2015, she was ready to hang up her stocking and sell the bar.
In her direct and often colorful manner, Frances told Chappell that she wanted the guy who bought Top Notch to buy Lala’s. It was an offer he couldn’t refuse.
Together with Max Moreland and Matt Luckie of FBR Management, they bought the Crestview joint. Rather than being referred to as a partner, Chappell prefers to call himself the "resident historian.”
In addition to his “weird” side projects and philanthropy, as he calls them, Chappell, Courtney and Bunda also own three Galaxy Café locations. The partners opened the first Galaxy location on Brodie Lane in 2004, bringing what he considers a fresh approach to Austin's dining scene.
The concept combines modern counter service with a focus on consistent, high-quality food in a welcoming neighborhood setting. Designed to adapt to unique locations, it offers a reliable experience without feeling like a chain.
Chappell and Courtney previously worked together at Shady Grove, a once-beloved Barton Springs Road fixture. Drawing on their experience there and from other local restaurants, the team created a distinctive and approachable dining destination that Austin Chronicle readers voted “favorite restaurant” in 2004 and 2009.
Restaurateur seeks to preserve the charm and character that "keeps Austin weird."
"Accepting credit cards was a game changer."