At RSRV Austin, Three Fraternity Brothers Turned Business Partners Endeavor To Provide Comfort and Community Through Wine

When Ricky Soto, Jeremy Hills, and Antonio Guevara met in 2009 on the campus of University of Texas at Austin, opening a wine bar was far from their priorities. The trio met through their fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated, and quickly formed a deep friendship that is going on 15 years strong. While going into business with friends is sometimes met with apprehension, cofounder Jeremy Hills is confident that their individual professional experiences will only make this endeavor even more worthwhile.

And with past work experience comes an easy distribution of work at RSRV Austin –Hills focuses on the marketing, Guevara handles operations, and Soto is responsible for the design of the space. But even as they dominate their respective lanes of expertise, constant communication and collaboration remains at the helm of all they do. And it is abundantly clear that they each have a fond respect for each other’s ideas and area of mastery.

“ We've been massively successful in our own lanes ,” Hills said, “ so we’ve come into this project leaning on what we’ve already done, and remaining open to how we’re going to win together .”

Soto is responsible for introducing his best friends to the world of wine many years ago, encouraging them to expand their palates beyond the rail drinks of their collegiate years. As their palates have matured, they’ve taken their own lessons learned and applied them to RSRV’s wine program.

“ At the end of the day, the goal is to have a well-rounded menu where different palettes can find something they like or grow into something they like ,” Soto says. “ Because we're not classically trained sommeliers, we’ve also approached this process as consumers. So we’re bringing different perspectives, which I think will be an advantage for us .”

At the time of this interview, the trio kept the details of their wine program close to the chest, but Guevara did share that there wasn’t a focus on any specific region, but Old World and New World wines would be represented.

“ And I think that's the best way to remain an establishment welcoming for wine lovers at all stages ,” Guevara states, “ because we want to take a little slice of everything that we not only enjoy, but also really show people that even our palates have changed throughout this entire process .”

Since opening in May 2024, RSRV (pronounced ‘reserve’) has cleverly nicknamed itself “The Eastside Country Club” - but you won’t find any snobbery and pretension here. If you take a look at RSRV’s Instagram page, there is a vibe of relaxation yet welcomed prestige that’s palatable for wine lovers at all levels. From day parties held every Saturday to Thursday “Vintage Flow” happy hours, there’s no shortage of good times and great wine to be had at the beautiful indoor-outdoor venue.

Establishing their wine bar in East Austin was an intentional decision for the trio as well. Historically, Old East Austin (now affectionately known as “The East Side”) once was a predominantly neighborhood full of thriving businesses and families of color. According to VisitAustin.org , “between 1910 and 1930, more than 1.6 million African Americans left the provincial South and moved to large cities in the North, Midwest, West and Southwest.”

While the community has certainly changed over time, today, it still remains home to many communities of Black and Latinx people as well the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center as well as Huston-Tillotson University , the city’s only HBCU.

The imprint of history is ever present in East Austin, and as men of color, Soto, Hills and Guevara don’t take it lightly that they are positioned to create experiences that they uniquely identify with as they join this city’s rich cultural fabric.

“ We’re three men of color who are introducing our culture to an age-old offering that’s unique and original to us ,” says Hills. “ Wine is a prestigious offering, but it’s welcoming–and we want guests to walk in, grab a glass, get educated on it by a sommelier, and enjoy great music ."

“ And so when you think about that, coupled with what embodies the true essence of the East Side in Austin, we have created a wine experience that’s elevated yet welcoming to all ,” says Gueverea. “ Country clubs, while they're nice and elevated, I’m not sure that they’re always welcoming. But at RSRV, we're continuing to lean into that ethos of prestigious, not pretentious, as the Eastside Country Club .”

As the guys look ahead, they’re excited to continue growing together as friends and businessmen. From creating programming for the wine bar to expanding the wine list, the opportunities are truly endless.

“ When it all boils down to it, ” Soto says, “ we want to encourage people to be more fascinated with wine if they haven't been originally. And even though we do have ownership over a particular part of the business, there's a bunch of crossover to make sure we can deliver the best product possible .”

Both Hills and Guevera agree.

“ I think we've all garnered a newfound respect for what we all do now too ,” Guevara says. “ We’re best friends, but this business relationship is new to us. We're going to challenge each other because iron sharpens iron,” Guevara says. “I'm better today at what I'm an expert in because I've gotten to work with these two, and a beauty has been able to blossom out of all of this .”

Iron sharpening iron, indeed.