Dirty Martin’s: A Third Place Worth Preserving.
A West Campus Institution at the University of Texas at Austin since 1926.
In the 1980s, sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the term “third place” to refer to a physical location where people spend time between home and work. These places facilitate social interaction, providing an environment where people can exchange ideas, have a good time, and build relationships. Third places play a significant role in cultivating a sense of community, which can be defined as a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals. By providing a physical location for people to coexist and congregate, third places build culture and strengthen the connections that people can have associated with place.
As a student at the University of Texas at Austin, I had always heard about an establishment called Dirty Martin’s. It’s situated on the more northern end of campus and has been a staple in the University of Texas’ environment for years. I had never been until I began to write this article, but the second I stepped foot inside, I was able to understand why it holds such significance for the UT community.
Dirty Martin’s has been around since 1926, making it one of the oldest restaurants in Austin, Texas, and has remained at its home on Guadalupe St. since its establishment. Originally Martin’s KumBak, the place was affectionately renamed Dirty Martin’s due to the dirt floors the dining area used to have in the restaurant’s early years. Dirty’s has grown from being a small joint with some barstools to a venue for the Austin community to congregate with events including weddings and vintage car shows taking place there. It is the definition of a friendly neighborhood joint, with it continuing to be significant throughout the years, particularly for the University of Texas population.
How is Dirty Martin’s a third place?
Oldenburg outlines eight characteristics that cultivate a third place, each of these working in tandem to inform and provoke community building in an environment: Neutral Ground, Leveler, Conversation, Accessibility & Accommodation, Regulars, Low Profile, Playful Mood, and Home Away From Home.
On Neutral Ground
“There must be neutral ground upon which people may gather, where individuals may come and go as they please, in which none are required to play host and in which all feel at home and comfortable.” — Ray Oldenburg, The Great Good Place
Dirty Martin’s is a versatile place. It serves as a venue for a quick beer with friends, dinner before a fraternity formal, and lunch with family members in the middle of the week; it does not have a defined purpose or intent with the kind of events or people it caters to.
During my visit, I saw so many different scenarios playing out. I saw the regulars watching sports on the TV while drinking a beer, I saw families catching up for lunch after not seeing each other for a while, I saw people sitting by themselves simply enjoying a moment of solitude. The one thing that all of these scenarios had in common was that they were all at Dirty Martin’s because they felt comfortable and enjoyed being there. People were there for different purposes, for different amounts of time, with different numbers of people, the unifying factor being that they all chose to conduct their business at Dirty Martin’s.
This speaks to the versatility of the space to accommodate all of these activities. People are able to do what they want at Dirty Martin’s however they want and maintain faith that the venue will serve their purpose.
The Third Place Is a Leveler
“A place that is a leveler is, by its nature, an inclusive place. It is accessible to the general public and does not set formal criteria of membership and exclusion.” — Ray Oldenburg, The Great Good Place
What I noticed right off the bat about Dirty Martin’s was its welcoming atmosphere. Immediately after walking through the door, you’re greeted by a friendly face at the host stand. As I moved through the entry space, I was able to chat with the cooks behind the glass who were hard at work, but still took the time to say a kind word to a customer.
As you maneuver through the space, you can see signage asking you to “KumBak [come back] soon” and saying “We hope to see you at Dirty Martin’s”. The inviting presence of the people who work there is coupled with the physical welcoming signs that effectively communicate one sentiment the second you walk through the door: Dirty Martin’s is for everyone from all walks of life.
Conversation Is the Main Activity
“Nothing more clearly indicates a third place than that the talk there is good; that it is lively, scintillating, colorful, and engaging.” — Ray Oldenburg, The Great Good Place
When walking deeper into the restaurant, your senses are assaulted by a flurry of activity. I could hear arguments about sports, laughter in the corner from old friends catching up, and the gentle murmur of conversation happening throughout the area.
As is the case with many third places, the primary intent of being at Dirty Martin’s does not seem to be to eat the delicious food that is served there (though that is definitely a plus). People go to Dirty Martin’s to be social, whether that’s through a lively conversation or simply to exist around other folks who are engaging with others.
When I was in the midst of chatting with the manager, he got called over by a couple of other patrons to have a jovial conversation about sports. He happily obliged and engaged with them for a good amount of time. This showed me that conversation is the intent and priority when spending time at Dirty Martin’s. The relationships made here are made to last through the act of a simple conversation.
Accessibility & Accommodation
“Third places that render the best and fullest service are those to which one may go alone at almost any time of the day or evening with assurance that acquaintances will be there.” — Ray Oldenburg, The Great Good Place
When I visited Dirty Martin’s it was 11 AM on a Monday. The parking lot was empty and it didn’t seem to be particularly busy on the inside. When I walked inside I was surprised to see a couple of people already sitting at the bar drinking beer. Over the course of the two hours I spent there, I was shocked by the amount of people that were flowing through the space. The bar soon filled up, and the back room with empty tables was crowded with families. I was not expecting it to be busy on a Monday morning, but was pleasantly surprised to learn that Dirty Martin’s has a pretty consistent number of people who go no matter the time of day.
Lunchtime is typically the most popular time of day, with an older crowd typically existing in the space while the younger population is in school or at work. By dinnertime, the younger population shows up with it being a popular spot for families to have dinner or a place for college students to congregate before moving on to other events later in the night. One thing’s for sure, there will most likely always be someone at Dirty Martin’s no matter the time of day due to the loyalty of their customer base.
The Regulars
“The single essential element of a third place tavern from which all other characteristics derive is a hard core of regular patrons. A tavern that has its loyal regulars is truly a gathering place.” — Ray Oldenburg, The Great Good Place
During the time I spent at Dirty Martin’s I was really intrigued by the people who were sitting at the bar. Again, I visited on a Monday morning and was a little surprised by the number of people that were chilling at the bar and drinking beer. Through conversation with the manager, I learned that this isn’t uncommon for those folks. They’re the regulars.
Dirty Martin’s has a population of customers who believe it to be a very central part of the way they live their lives, with them consistently taking the time to make an appearance and spend some time at the establishment on a regular basis. These people are also typically folks who attended UT or grew up in Austin, demonstrating the significance that this establishment holds in the Austin community. Dirty Martin’s is a fixture in people’s lives and has been this way for decades. Being a regular includes those who come at least once a week, but it also includes people who have been coming for years.
A Low Profile
“Plainness, especially on the inside of third places, also serves to discourage pretention among those who gather there.” — Ray Oldenburg, The Great Good Place
When I walked into Dirty Martin’s, I felt comfortable right off the bat despite it being my first time there. The walls were covered in burnt orange, and as a UT student, that immediately instilled a sense of ease and comfort within me, making me feel like this place was for me too. As Austin continues to grow, upscale restaurants and bars become more and more common, creating a sense of exclusion and pretentiousness that can make those establishments uninviting to many. Dirty Martin’s was the exact opposite of this.
The walls were covered in UT paraphernalia, old pictures of Dirty Martin’s through the years, drawings from children, and little knick-knacks that brought a sense of homeyness to the space. Dirty Martin’s was plain in the regard that it was for the common man, the regular UT student, and anybody who would like to grab a beer and have a good conversation, which was reflected in the way it was decorated.
The Mood is Playful
“The persistent mood of the third place is a playful one. Sometimes the playful spirit is obvious, as when the group is laughing and boisterous; other times it will be subtle. Whether pronounced or low key, however, the playful spirit is of utmost importance.” — Ray Oldenburg, The Great Good Place
A playful spirit was evident in the people and the place itself at Dirty Martin’s. Laughter and jovial conversation were not uncommon, with the overall atmosphere being one of liveliness and cheerfulness. This was true at the bar where the regulars were talking sports, in the corner table where friends were catching up, in the front entryway where folks were chatting with the hosts and the cooks, and in any conversation with the manager.
This playful spirit extends to the fun posters and doodles that line the walls, silly stickers slapped on the paneling and so many more fun, quirky things that contribute to the playful spirit that the people create. The environment and the people that exist within Dirty Martin’s embody playfulness and help create a positive mood that people want to exist in.
A Home Away from Home
“Third places compete with the home on many of its own terms and often emerge the winner. One suspects that it is the similarity that a third place bears to a comfortable home and not its differences that poses the greater threat. Aye, there’s the rub — the third place is often more homelike than home.” — Ray Oldenburg, The Great Good Place
The phrase “home away from home” is often used to describe a place, environment, or situation where a person feels as comfortable, secure, and at ease as they do in their own home. In order for a third place to be truly successful, Oldenburg claims that it needs to make people feel this way. Feeling at home is a sentiment that many spend their entire lives looking for. As human beings, we have an innate desire to feel as if we belong somewhere. We become a part of different systems and institutions that allow us to search for something that makes us feel like we belong, that we are a part of something bigger where we can feel confident, comfortable, secure, and at ease.
From the little time I spent in Dirty Martin’s I could see that this place was a home away from home for many. It’s what keeps people coming back. It’s what drives people to take time out of their lives to come and exist in this environment. Perhaps for some it is reminiscent of the time they spent in college at UT, for some it may be a symbol of the Austin they grew up in, and for others, it could simply just be a place that fits all of their wants and needs and makes them feel at home. Dirty Martin’s means different things to different people, but at the end of the day, it is an establishment that cultivates a sense of being a home away from home, which is why it is still standing almost 100 years after its opening.
Why should Dirty Martin’s be preserved?
Change is hard. Time doesn’t stop, the world doesn’t stop turning, and life just keeps on going. This sentiment is demonstrated through the way Austin, Texas has been transformed through the years. It is a significant thing to be an Austinite. It’s being a part of a community that takes pride in its city and the culture that exists here. However, as Austin continues to grow, this identity of being an Austinite is being threatened. It’s being diluted through the introduction of gentrified establishments that are becoming prominent at the cost of original, culturally significant establishments that make Austin Austin.
Many have been saying that the concept of a third place is something that is being threatened as well. With increased urbanization, reliance on the internet, and different generational attitudes as a whole, third places are becoming harder and harder to maintain. People are finding it hard to discover places that allow them to exchange ideas, have a good time, and build relationships in a physical location. Third places are spaces that allow humans to be humans. They facilitate social interaction, congregation, and community building, all of which contribute to the betterment of the human experience. Without these things, we live a solitary life where we go to work and go home, where we may continue to struggle to find a sense of belonging.
Growth is necessary. It’s hard, but it’s not a bad thing and it’s something that is unavoidable. However, as the world continues to grow, it’s important to think about what we prioritize as a society.
I asked the manager, Daniel Young, about what Dirty Martin’s means to him. He told me “connection”. It’s a place that allows people to connect with each other, connect with UT, and connect with Austin as a whole. Being a project aimed towards connecting Austin, I urge the higher-ups at Project Connect to really think about what it means to connect people in Austin. Is it to simply build infrastructure to take people from point A to point B? Is it to preserve establishments that are significant to the Austin identity that allow people to connect with one another and reinforce a sense of community? Or can it be both of these things?
Check out this link to the petition in place to support saving Dirty Martin’s— A University of Texas staple since 1926.
