Sauce Odyssey, a sauce bar and food truck based in the East Side of Austin, is permanently closed.
Founder Rod Crosby informed the Chronicle Wednesday, Aug. 21 that the business has ceased operations and is pulling out of the Chronicle’s 29th annual Hot Sauce Festival – scheduled for this Sunday, Aug. 25 – where they were supposed to be a vendor.
“Despite our efforts in all capacities, we unfortunately just couldn’t muster enough traffic to stay afloat,” Crosby told the Chronicle in an email. “Our spot had many built in challenges that we tried to overcome. We considered moving locations to be more conspicuous and have alcohol readily available, but it isn’t a walk in the park to mobilize and/or properly set up our 48’ trailer. After waiting to see the effect of many new initiatives and PR, we sadly decided to close our doors.”
The trailer, which distinguished itself with guided tastings of an ever-changing roster of artisanal hot sauces, served its last customers this past Sunday, Aug. 18. Sauce Odyssey’s official Facebook page now states that the business is permanently closed, but no public announcement has been made. The day before, the business posted a photo on Facebook that gave no indication of impending closure. Sauce Odyssey’s official Instagram page also appears to have been deleted, although it’s unclear when this happened.
Sauce Odyssey took up residence at 1403 E. 7th St., outside Revival Coffee, in fall of 2018 and recently participated in the Quesoff competition at Mohawk.
“We are incredibly thankful for all those who supported us these past 9 months, and helped spread the word about Sauce Odyssey!” Crosby said. “It is disheartening to know the last sauce and last plate of food has been sold, but the sauce life will live on through the makers we so adamantly felt like supporting. It was an honor and a privilege to serve every single customer and be a part of the thriving Austin culinary scene.”
This article appears in August 16 • 2019.