How Cash Out maps Austin's billion-dollar alcohol market — and why the numbers are real.
Every bar in Austin belongs to a zone — a geographic ring based on distance from downtown. Inside those zones, we identify corridors — named streets and districts where bars compete for the same foot traffic. Zones are the structure. Corridors are the intelligence.
Every bar falls into one of 13 geographic zones based on distance and direction from downtown Austin. Three rings — Downtown (within 1.5 miles), Central (1.5–5 miles), and Far (5+ miles) — each divided by compass direction. Zones ensure every bar has a competitive context, even outside named entertainment districts.
Inside the zones, we identify 36 named corridors — streets and districts where bars compete for the same customers. A corridor exists only if local media covers it as a drinking destination or it's an incorporated city. If a bar owner on that street wouldn't say "that's my market," it's not a corridor.
Each bar's revenue represents alcohol sales at that single physical location — liquor, beer, wine, and cover charges. It does not include food, merchandise, or non-alcoholic beverages. Data is released approximately two months behind. We update the platform monthly as new filings become available.
Cash Out tracks monthly alcohol revenue for every bar and restaurant with a liquor permit in Travis County. The source is Texas Comptroller mixed beverage gross receipts data — the same filings the state uses to collect taxes. Each bar files individually, each month, for their specific location.
This isn't estimated, surveyed, or scraped. It's compliance data — transformed into the alcohol revenue intelligence layer that Austin's bar industry has never had.
Beer-and-wine-only permits — Establishments that serve only beer and wine hold a different permit type and are not in the mixed beverage dataset. Some beer-focused bars and wine bars may not appear.
Breweries and brewpubs — Brewer's License holders report through a different system. Establishments like Pinthouse Pizza, Live Oak Brewing, and Meanwhile Brewing are not yet in Cash Out.
Food revenue — The data covers alcohol and cover charges only. A restaurant doing $5M in food and $500K in drinks appears as a $500K establishment.
Cash Out provides revenue intelligence derived from publicly available Texas Comptroller mixed beverage gross receipts data. While we take care to ensure accuracy, this data is provided as-is for informational purposes only. Revenue figures may not reflect a bar's complete financial picture — they exclude food sales, non-alcoholic beverages, and establishments operating under beer-and-wine-only or brewery permits. Projections are estimates based on historical patterns and are not guarantees of future performance. Cash Out is not a financial advisor. Users should verify all data independently and rely on their own judgment and records before making business, investment, or operational decisions.