The White House

So many food truck choices in Austin. Definetely has a local flavor with the charity support action.

So I know whether or not the money ACTUALLY goes to charity is up for debate, but this review is purely about the bar itself.
Watch out for the huge wooden spool seat things outside. I got a splinter in my hand and my friend got one in her butt. Not cool!
Is there a real bathroom anywhere in this place? I only remember seeing portapotties.
I feel kind of bad about giving this place 3 stars but, a bar is a bar is a bar… you know? Especially in Austin!

How can one complain about free drinks? OK, so the «$ 15 charity donation» to actually get inside the place is a bit lame, but just like the presidential palace that bears the same name, The White House mostly gets it right.

Funny story about Texas law and [possibly] extorting money from local charities…
Turns out that money you were ‘donating’ to charities at a not-​for-​profit bar has had difficulty reaching said charities.
Why is that? Don’t pay attention to the fact that the owner has been arrested [for breaking breaking TABC law]. Or that no other not-​for-​profit bar has ever existed in the USA (here is a clue why, alcohol sold at bars FOR PROFIT).
From the Statesmen:
«Asked when local charities might receive any money, Thomas said it was taking longer than expected ‘to count the tokens and close the books.’ »

Scam. The cost of doing business is taken out first including salaries what a joke. This is just a business trying to get around getting an alcohol licence and hidding behind charities. Actually jokes on you for giving up your cash why not just donate directly if you really want to help out.

Great concept — failed execution. First, the place is a total dump, both inside and out. Second, whoever made the token/​money bins needs a lesson in woodworking. Third, get some better options for beer and set-​ups. I’d rather send $ 20 to my favorite charity and drink jack and coke at home.

Eh. That’s pretty much all I have to say about this place. The idea is great and totally fitting for a city like Austin. I think it’s perfectly located on Rainey Street. A bar like this would not do well on 6^th street. Everyone has already touched on this, but you just pay $ 6 for a setup and then put your token in your charity of choice which they in turn donate money too at the end of each month. Nice idea, but it’s pricey if you’re just grabbing a beer and going on your way which is what we did. They do have a food trailer, games outside, and a set up for live music. This place has great potential, I just don’t see my group returning.

I love the concept– I just wish that there were fewer charities to chose from, as I can’t imagine they can afford to donate a lot of money to any one charity.

What we call a private club in PA they call a donation bar here and I love it

What an interesting concept, not paying for the actual alcohol & donating to charity! You pay for the cup set up ($ 6), which is basically a small plastic cup, ice, & a straw then head to the other counter to chose whatever booze you’d like. Then you get a puzzle piece to place in a box, which represents money that will go towards a charity.
This deal isn’t too bad, unless you’re going to drink a beer, in which case $ 6 for a Dos Equis is a little much. But just think, it’ll help an animal, tree, person, etc… in need. The house itself has a pretty neat vibe, plenty of rooms with couches & chairs to lounge, & food trailers out the wazoo in the backyard. Talk about a convenient drunk munchies! The only thing I didn’t like was the porter potties (they were pretty gross) & the water dispenser ran out of water so we couldn’t wash our hands. Makes me wonder how many other people were walking around that bar with dirty hands…

The White House has a great and fresh concept — never thought the money spent for a gin and tonic would go towards a non-​profit.
Pros:
— All of the staff are friendly and helpful. Bouncer greeted us with a smile. The bartenders patiently explained everything. The guy coming around to pick up trash was mindful and courteous!
— Relaxed atmosphere. Variety of rooms with comfy furniture. There’s a back patio with loads more seating as well.
— Donations to non-​profits? Good deal. There’s a wide selection: veterans, poverty, homelessness, etc.
— Loads of food trucks on-​site here. I didn’t get to try any, but you have a wide array of options.
The biggest con about it are the drinks are hit or miss. They’re liberal with the ice and mixers, but skimp a bit with the alcohol. (The punch they have is pretty tasty though.)
Notes:
— $ 6 for a «set-​up.» Comes with a drink of your choice and a token, which you place into a charity’s box.
— They’ll give you smaller glasses for cocktails, but a slightly larger one for beers.
— Other reviews mention it, but they don’t do bottomless drinks anymore.
— They have two lines for cash and credit.

This place is amazing! You make a donation for your drinks and they give you a token. As you enjoy the beverage of your choice, you walk around and look at all the charities on the walls. Pick your favorite charity and place your token in the box. At the end of the month they donate to all the charities by how many tokens were received. All their rooms are politically themed and very cool.
The owner is an amazing guy who is putting a passion to good use. All the staff is very friendly and pretty awesome. They usually have food trucks outside. The girl who deep fries everything is my hero! Chocolate covered bacon a MUST!
None profit charity bar? Yes please! We need one in SF!

New Year’s eve a group of us decided to pop in. I was personally hoping for an oval office or something. An almost audible «Hmm…» from the group and then agreed this place is like no other bar any of us have ever been to! Between us we had been to a lot of bars. FIVE STARS for that! An adventure! Finally a use for all those NorthFace fleeces I see floating around Austin. Good luck navigating the most confusing experience you’ll eve have trying to order a drink. Then have fun watching other try. My gold coin went to Front Steps.
*also home to an amazing Gyro trailer

This place was great! A $ 20 donation gets you a bottomless drink and tokens to donate to the charity of your choice. Nice and roomy with cozy leather couches and great food trucks in the yard. You should check it out!

*Sits down to write this with a cup of coffee and a leftover «Saaaaaaay Whaaaaaaaaaaaaa?» face from last night.*
The White House is… strange. Well meaning… confused & confusing… strange. But I think maybe it’s strange in a good way. And I think it’s haunted.
This is unlike any other bar I’ve ever been to and sports a concept that — well, we’ll see if it’s going to work or not.
First of all, the bar is a «non profit» bar — you aren’t paying for your alcohol. Granted, until you make your donation… you don’t get alcohol… but because the «donation» is made at one bar that only gives you a cup full of mixer… and the alcohol is supplied freely at a second bar after you show a wristband ($ 20.00… drink all night… anything you want… not too bad) or the cheaper by-​the-​drink alternative, you are technically not buying your drink. This way, they aren’t technically taking your money for the alcohol… they get to be tax free because the money made *not* for the sale of alcohol all goes to charity. You get a token once you donate to drop in any one of the long mailbox looking boxes that line the wall which are all labeled with local charities. I wouldn’t bother picking and choosing, the donations are divided up equally regardless. Effing socialists. (This is contradictory to the explanation of other reviews — but it is the latest explanation from the bar itself as I believe they’re still fine tuning the concept… Either that or the Mixertender was a liar).
There’s a huge yard in the back… the tables and chairs in the entire, sparsely decorated (loose term… I’m pretty sure one of the room still sports charred walls from a house fire in the 20’s) are giant wooden spools. There are a few separate rooms to choose from — each giving you the feeling that you’re in mildly patriotic dead person’s bedroom. Then there’s the front room which has the biggest inside seating for a group — seating consisting of dog beds. The White House don’t give a damn about appearance.
They make their money off the SEVEN food trailers on the property — and I highly recommend you check them out. I had one of the best quesadillas ever at the taco truck and had a gyrogasm at the sight of the greek trailer’s food passing me by. And there’s some sort of funnel cake thing that happens there that the stranger who had it, rudely, would not let me eat. He was probably a Republican. He wore Sperrys.
In the second room down the hall from the entry I’m pretty sure Frederick the ghost lives. I named him. I don’t know if he appreciates that, but he f**ked up all our pictures with his streaky light show and general eeriness.
So — my best suggestion for this place is that it can be fun if you make it fun. The bar isn’t entertaining in and of itself. But if you’re with an adventurous and charismatic group that can appreciate obscurity, then yes, head to White House, drop 20 bucks for charity and get some awkwardly served drinks by bartenders who appear just as confused as you, say hi to Fred in the blue room and eat a funnel cake and take home a receipt for your tax write offs.
How Austin.

This spot is one of the more divey bars on Rainey St. If you’re feeling a more raucous evening, then The White House is the way to go. There’s dance music and bottomless $ 15 drinks. Of-​what-​ever-​you-​want.

Wonderful place, first in the country! It has only been open almost 3 weeks so far, so I am sure they are working out the kinks and pricing will change but it works by you donating money to the charity of your choice. When you donate $ 5, you get a «free» wells drink or beer. When you donate $ 7 you get wine. If you donate $ 20 you get bottomless wells or beers, or $ 30 for top shelf drinks. That is a great price and you get to drink as you give the your charity of choice. My understanding is not that they give ALL the money to the charity that has the most tokens, rather they give to each charity based on the number of tokens it receives. Of course some of the money they make goes to overhead, how else can they be expected to run the place? This is a non-​profit place, just like any other non-​profit, it just comes in the form of a bar.
Smart idea, cute, appropriate décor, and a wonderful outside patio with plenty of great food trailers!

Five stars because it’s a very cool concept! More people should go here. Drinks are «free». After giving a $ 10 donation, you get a drink and a plastic token to put into the box of the charity you wish your donation to go to. A $ 20 donation gets you «bottomless» drinks all night.
Ignore the other Negative Nancy reviews. I’m flabbergasted that they don’t understand that it’s a CHARITY bar. It’s not going to be some super duper nice and fancy place.
I assume the bartenders are volunteers. They aren’t paid, professional bartenders who can mix up some fancy schamcy drink for you. But they can do the basics just fine. They aren’t going to have a huge selection of beers/​liquor either. And yes, just like any other charity/​non-​profit, a portion of the donations probably goes to help fund their overhead and operating costs.
There is a DJ spinning hip tunes in the back. There were also a half dozen food trucks/​trailers in the front and back. They probably help fund the bar’s operating costs. We were told that they will bring in new options from time to time. That’s good for selection/​variety.
I’ll be back to donate again and redeem myself for being a drunken, gluttonous idiot. I gave to a literacy program last night. Will probably donate to NPR next time I go.

This place is very strange.
So apparently «The White House» does not want to pay for a liquor license. You «donate» $ 15, get a token, put it in a box of whichever charity you think most deserves it, or whatever charity you like the most, or you know, don’t even donate your token just bring it home and start a collection.
The idea is that at the end of the week, whatever charity gets the most tokens, gets the proceeds of ALL the $ 15 donations.
Supposedly.
My friend asked one of the owner/​partner people how they make a profit if ALL the $ 15 donations go to the charity winner. He told us that when they say «all» the proceeds they really mean all the proceeds after they take out their cost/​overhead. He didn’t tell us what percentage that was. Shady? I think so.
I know they have to be getting some $$$ from all the trailers on their property as well, I’m assuming that is not cheap rental space.
As for the trailers, I haven’t tried any, so I can’t give an opinion on any of them. None of them were really speaking to me.
The «bar» itself reminds me of something you would see at a wedding. There is not a high variety and whoever is pouring the drinks does not seem to know what they’re doing.
All in all, I’d skip this place. Seems like they’re trying to find a loop hole in the system.

What the heck is going on HERE?!! So I am doing the Rainey St thing with some friends and we check this place out mainly because of all the food trailers and when a couple of the people from our group meet us outside after checking out the inside the description was «a failed frat house vibe.» I go in to check it out and get a drink and immediately see what they mean. Much like the rest of the places on Rainey St it is an old house but the «bar?» included tall boys of PBR, Lonestar, and Lonestar Lt, along with the little bottles of wine you would get on an airplane. When I asked for a Lonestar one of the women behind the «bar» asked the other woman «what’s that?» Seriously? You have 5 drink options and you don’t know what one of them is? She cracked the can and poured into one of those little (another airline reference here) cups you get on an airplane and tossed the rest of the beer!!! When I grabbed my wallet to pay they said «it’s free» when I asked for an explanation they mentioned something about a ‘fundraiser’ and how it would be going on all weekend, spread the word. I then asked «so are you taking donations?’ to which they responded «oh, yea, that would be great.» Really? A fundraiser and you don’t mention about donations? We all got a fishy vibe from this place and couldn’t figure out what was going on here… will be interesting to see if this place survives… the only reason I gave it 2 instead of 1 star is because of BahnBahn food trailer in the back, really good Vietnamese!