August Update

As the great Mike Tyson said, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.” Well, August punched us in the face. We submitted our construction documents and received our demo permit in July, and were able to start and finish demo in the first two weeks of August. Ahead of schedule, everything moving along swimmingly. But demo revealed a bunch of challenges with the building (roof, exterior siding, interior studs, grease trap, and more!). Every food business is hard on its infrastructure, and opening up walls with history often reveals hidden surprises. 

All of these issues require coordination and negotiation with our landlord. Fortunately she is a willing partner, but they are still tense conversations. These are not cheap or quick fixes. Well, they could be cheap and quick — but we want to make repairs the right way to maintain the structural and hygienic integrity of the space. 

These construction woes are a test of our integrity. Doing things right takes time. Every layer of Radius will be performed to the best of our ability, starting with construction and continuing into daily operations. Construction, building maintenance, workspace cleaning, product sourcing, butchery, customer service, finance, marketing — we take pride in every aspect of the business. Integrity can’t be regulated from an outside force, it must come from within. The leadership team, our employees, our farmers, and the contractors we work with all have high expectations for themselves. 

While the building conditions are frustrating, they are part of the process. Our commitment to create a wonderful space to showcase and sell local Texas farm products is unwavering. We are doing everything possible to stay on track for a late 2024 opening, and will keep the community up-to-date on our progress. 

This August update is shorter than previous months, and not as cheery. But it’s important to share an honest telling of what it has been like to open Radius. I’m sure this will be the first setback of many over the coming years, but overall the good updates outshine the bad. The experience of visiting a farmer to learn about their animals’ lifestyles outshines talking with a subcontractor about how to replace a rusted out stud. The moments of talking to prospective customers about what Radius will become and seeing their excited reaction outshines walking on a damaged roof. And the feeling of finally opening the doors to serve customers every day will certainly make these construction challenges feel like distant memories. September will be a better month!