AUSTIN, Texas — Mike Young, the co-founder of Chuy’s, Hula Huta and Shady Grove, died on Friday morning in Austin of pancreatic cancer, according to KVUE’s media partners at the Austin American-Statesman. He was 74.
Young founded the famous Tex-Mex restaurant on Barton Springs Road in 1982 with partner John Zapp.
According to the Statesman, Young got his start in hospitality as a teenager, working for his parents at their Sun Valley Motor Hotel in Harlingen. He worked several positions, from front desk to maintenance repair.
He moved to Austin in the early 1970s after graduating from Southwest Texas State University, now Texas State University. In 1973, at the age of 24, Young opened popular restaurant Mike & Charlie’s at 1206 West 34th St. in Central Austin. In September of 1977, he went on to help open Los Tres Bobos, and later, Gianni’s at 504 E. Fifth St.
Galaxy Café co-owner and former Chuy’s and Hula Hut employee Jay Bunda told the Statesman the culture of Chuy’s was what made it an instant hit in South Austin.
“It was really impressive to me how everyone was allowed to be themselves. The place was decorated really irreverently, and it was just a breath of fresh air the way they were running their restaurant,” Bunda said.
In 1989, Young and Chuy’s created the Children Giving to Children Parade to help collect toys to donate to the Austin Police Department’s Blue Santa program.
Read Young’s full obituary on the Statesman’s website.