Today we’d like to introduce you to Busty Morris
Hi Busty, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m from Waco, but moved to Austin about 14 years ago..Worked a couple bartending jobs, but left those just to work the door at The White Horse. I ended up staying there for 10 years, and worked every position in between. After 10 years I was the General Manager and handled all the booking, 3 bands every night! I’m incredibly honored I got to be a part of The White Horse’s history and get to know so many local musicians. The local country scene will always hold a special place in my heart. When The White Horse closed for COVID, I jokingly started making “Busty’s Bar & Jukebox” t-shirts as a way to pay rent. I quickly kept outselling every order. The first few orders I would drive around town and drop off the shirt with a cold beer as a thank you for buying the shirt. Eventually, the orders started getting out of hand and had to solely ship everything. It got to the point it was mostly strangers buying shirts for a bar that didn’t even exist yet. I heard numerous stories of people saying they had been to Busty’s, which was still just a dream.
Before The White Horse, I was an intern at Austin Speed Shop way back when it was still 1414 S. Lamar. I grew up heavy in a car family and have always been obsessed with classic cars. When I started working on what a “Busty’s” would look like, I knew it had to have some car influence, so we hung a 1969 Corvette inside. 70s era custom cars has always been my favorite, and I think our bar reflects that. My partners in Open Road Hospitality( Nathan Hill, Heather Muir, Travis Norman) and I describe it as a 1970s Boogie van pulling up to the Playboy mansion. Just flashy, a bit eccentric, and timeless.That paired with music on our jukebox I hand picked, it feels like a time capsule, but with flat screen TVs. That paired with our chef, James Durham, who had been hustling in his own right with Jim Jam Biscuits, I think we really nailed it. Also, always like to point out we are the first bar in Austin with Miller High Life on draft in over a decade, just a little nod.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Helping run The White Horse for so long, I thought I knew what it meant to “run a business.” Trying to open a business from the ground floor has been totally different! Every step off the way has been a new challenge, each time learning more than I expected. Luckily I have tons of support from Open Road Hospitality. Nathan Hill ( White Horse, Frazier’s, High Noon) has definitely been my cheat code. I’ve just been trying to be a sponge and absorb anything and everything from someone who has the experience of a few staples in town. Heather Muir (Frazier’s) and our contractor Travis Norman ( KKDW) have really helped make this a well rounded group. They have all helped make this bar bigger and better than I could have ever imagined, It’s a literal dream come true. It also helps we all have very similar taste in bars, cars and music.
As you know, we’re big fans of Busty’s Bar & Jukebox. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
6214 Cameron Road, Austin, Texas 78723
Just trying to serve good food, and cold beers! Check out the jukebox and play some pool!
How do you think about happiness?
Honestly, it just makes me extremely happy to be a part of the neighborhood. Nathan and myself both live in this area and we just hope we can add to the area. To me, the goal is to almost be a community center. Forcing people to meet their neighbors, meeting people from different walks of life, and just getting back to being off our phones. Coming into the bar and seeing it full of people, hearing conversations and laughing, watching people dance in their booths to music they’re being introduced to, that’s what brings me joy in this job. (that and filling the parking lot with our car shows.) It might say Busty on the sign, but this bar was for so many people I grew up with, my folks, and hopefully the city of Austin.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bustysbarandjukebox.com
- Instagram: bustysbarandjukebox
