I went to Iron Cactus to meet my teammates for lunch after the disappointing cancellation of the CapTexTri. We were there 15 minutes before the place opened and the waiter asked us to wait outside. Normal enough, since they were not open yet, but something about the tone made me think twice about eating there. As we entered and waited to be seated (about 20 of us showing up and yes, we called ahead) I considered the fact that I had my bike on my car with no lock (Saris rack - you can take the whole thing off, bike and all), looked around the empty restaurant, spotted some wide open spaces where I could set my bike while we ate, and decided to roll it in and ask the waiter where I might be able to set it so it wouldn't get stolen on 6th street. He said, "you need to talk to the manager," didn't bother to even get him for me, and when I saw that a 'manager-type' guy approached the front of the restaurant, I asked him if I could bring my bike in b/c I didn't have a lock (I was going from home to race to home, so I thought!) and he said bikes were not allowed. When my fiance asked why, he said, "it's policy." Well, my policy is not to give my money to any establishment that treats customers like crap, so I left.
Long story short, I should have figured that is the kind of treatment to expect on 6th street, having long ago lost any semblance of the 'Austin-y' vibe that people love so much about that city.
I lived there for over 5 years before moving away, and was happy to find a decent place to eat on South First, where my bike was more than welcome, the atmosphere and food wonderful, and the people and service very true to the Austin I knew and loved.
Thanks. Just had to vent. I figure not every establishment can allow anybody to bring in a bike, but considering that ALL their business was coming from the group I was with, I thought they might give it a little consideration, which the manager did not. Not his problem, I guess, just doing his job, running the joint on a Sunday morning!

Had a fairly similar response at the one in Dallas...On the one hand, there WERE upwards of 60 of us, but the place was empty and we had money to buy drinks and food. We locked our bikes up in the plaza nearby (NOT obtrusively and plenty of walking space), and we enjoyed ourselves. But a rumor went out (don't know the truth of it), the management said they hoped we never show up again. So we never have.

What is it with that place??? They hate money coming in?????

I live up the street from the Dallas Iron Cactus, and I avoid it as much as possible. The service always is horrendous, and the food isn't that great. There are plenty of other restaurants that have decent service and great food on the same block.