Hat Creek Burger Company: 13 Patios in Three Years, Every One in Hat Creek Red
Hat Creek builds the same thing everywhere: a big covered patio with a playscape, picnic tables, string lights and a slat fence, because the patio is where the families sit. Between 2017 and 2019 the company opened or refit thirteen Texas locations and had us close every patio the same way, clear vinyl with red borders that match the sign, rolled up by hand when the weather is good.
What we built
- Customer: Hat Creek Burger Company, Austin, Texas.
- 13 locations from Austin, Buda and Dripping Springs to Dallas, McKinney, Richardson, Rowlett, Allen, Temple, Waco, San Marcos, Lakeway and Fulshear.
- About 160 manual roll-up panels in clear vinyl with red borders, rope-and-pulley, tied down to the slat fence. No doors; the patios open through the restaurant.
- About 14,000 square feet of enclosure, 8 to 15 panels per store, panels up to 12 feet tall at Richardson.
- Architect: Hat Creek’s prototype was drawn by ID Studio 4 of Irving, now part of Fusion, and our panels were laid out to that prototype at every site.
Location by location
| Location | Installed | Panels |
|---|---|---|
| Domain, Austin | October 2017 | 9 |
| Buda | November 2017 | 13 |
| McKinney | November 2017 | 10, plus the drive-through window |
| Lakeway | January 2018 | 14 |
| Dripping Springs | 2018 | 13 |
| Rowlett | 2018 | 11 |
| Temple | 2018 | 14 |
| Waco | 2018 | 14 |
| Allen | December 2018 | 13 |
| San Marcos | December 2018 | 14 |
| Dallas, The Hill | December 2018 | 8 |
| Fulshear | October 2019 | 13 |
| Richardson | November 2019 | 15 |
Before and after
Before, a Hat Creek patio was the slat fence and the sky. That is the right answer for nine months of the year and the wrong one for the other three, when the families who fill the patio move inside and the tables sit empty. The panels hang from the beam, drop behind the fence, and roll up out of sight in April.
How a thirteen-store rollout actually runs
Hat Creek bought in batches. Two stores signed the same day in 2017. Four were ordered together in the fall of 2018. The last two came in on a summer 2019 promotion with the deadline moved for them. Each batch went through one design consultation per site, one order to the shop, and one crew trip per region, so the group paid for one process instead of thirteen.
What made this one different
Consistency at speed. The prototype meant every patio was close to the last one, but never identical: a drive-through window at McKinney, a 12-foot wall at Richardson, a counter-height rail on The Hill in Dallas. The red border is the same shade at all thirteen, and the panel layout was adjusted at each design consultation rather than forced.
Specs
| System | Manual roll-up clear panels, rope-and-pulley, about 160 units across 13 locations |
| Vinyl | Clear with red solid borders, flame-rated to NFPA 701 |
| Largest units | Up to 12 feet tall (Richardson) |
| Wind rating | Manual panels are rated 45 mph deployed and tied down at this size; roll them up for anything stronger. |
| Warranty | 3 years on workmanship |
| Lead time | About 6 weeks from deposit per batch |
| Installation | Our own crew, one trip per region. Outlet locations only; we do not do the electrical. |
Ready for a number on your patio?
Tell us about your space and we'll come back with a design and a number. Commercial projects only — $10,000 minimum, installed.