Great Food, Amazing Location

With the stress of busy schedules, many people use Spring Break as a time to let loose and forget all their troubles. After floating the Guadalupe River, people suddenly realize there is

one trouble that needs some immediate attention.

The Gristmill River Restaurant & Bar located in Gruene, Texas the solution to that.

According to history, the Gruene cotton gin processed crops raised by area farmers until the wooden structure burned to the ground in 1922 and the remains of the water-powered mill are the three-story brick boiler room- the Gristmill River Restaurant & Bar.

The Gristmill overlooks the Guadalupe River and has seating for over 1,000 people at a time. Throughout Spring Break there were people from all over waiting in the hot sun for a table.

Recently back from Afghanistan, staff sergeant, Timothy Arnold, enjoyed a well-deserved bite to eat.

“As soon as I land in Texas, I give my girlfriend a big hug and kiss, then we head to Gristmill. You can’t find a chicken fried steak like this anywhere in Texas. I have been coming here for the past three years and haven’t had a complaint yet,” said Arnold.

Although Gruene is off in its own tiny corner of the world, the Gristmill brings in tons of revenue for the town. Surprisingly enough, people from across the world come in just for the atmosphere.

General manager, Larry Abel, said that Spring Break is the week that business begins to pick up after a slow winter.

“This Spring Break we sold about 250,000-300,000 dollars which is more than a lot of restaurants can say for a few months. The Gristmill is unique in that it accommodates to large parties up to 50 people, as well as, a couple coming in for an intimate dinner. We have fire places for when it is cold and outside seating when the weather is nice and sunny,” said Abel.

With a restaurant that seats that many people, it is critical that they have a staff to support it. The Gristmill employs about 160 servers, 25 hosts and over 70 kitchen staff. LoriBeth Taylor has worked at the Gristmill for five years and has been through the busiest days.

“If it wasn’t for the structure that the Gristmill has, we would all be going crazy. They have had a certain way to do things for the longest time and it works well, so we all fol

low the same pattern and help each other out as much as possible and somehow we all survive the shift,” Taylor said.

Coming from a smaller restaurant, Robby Galvan, has recently started managing at the Gristmill and was in for an eye opener.

“I started during the winter months and it was fairly slow for the most part, we had certain weekends that would get busy, but I was warned once the sun came out it was going to fill up quick and it did. I started seeing crowds and crowds of people coming in, but within a few hours they were all nice and full and on their way home. One of the employees sold over 1,000 dollars in a five hour shift, so that tells you how busy we were,” said Galvan.

The Gristmill serves all types of Americana food such as: chicken fried steaks, fried catfish, steaks, salads and burgers. A popular salad served is the beef tenderloin salad that is Texas sized in flavor and amount.

When traveling through New Braunfels, stop in at The Gristmill River Restaurant & Bar for a dining experience you are sure to remember.

Girls enjoying the Gristmill