Laura Schulte, brand partnerships and social media manager at El Arroyo, told Bored Panda in an earlier interview their marquee was first put out by the street in front of the restaurant by their original owner over two decades ago to promote restaurant specials and write funny quotes.
Now, El Arroyo gets several submissions a day from people from all over the world who wish to get their witty one-liners heard. Laura said the staff picks what to put up in terms of “what makes us laugh and is most applicable to current events.”
On April 1st, locals probably have had a real scare when they saw the landmark El Arroyo sign was missing. Restaurant representatives said on social media that it was stolen.
"It is with great sadness that we share some disheartening news... Our famous marquee sign has been stolen," El Arroyo staff tweeted. "If you have any information about the whereabouts of the sign, or any leads, please comment."
According to KXAN-TV, a server who answered the phone when ABC13 called confirmed this information. "It was stolen," Gilberto Camacho then said. "At least as far as I know. That's what the manager told me anyway."
The drama took a turn when El Arroyo shared a video of Gov. Greg Abbott showing animated concern about the sign.
"I said alcohol to go... not signs to go," Abbott said on-camera. "That sign is missing. We must find it. I'm asking the DPS to help us find that sign."
However, observant viewers noticed that Abbott's video, featuring the governor wearing a tie while in his Capitol office, was recorded on a different day since he was seen in live ABC13 streaming video along the Texas border at the same time the clip was tweeted.
An afternoon Instagram post from El Arroyo revealed the signs' whereabouts, a relocation in conjunction with a promotion with the drinkware and cooler-maker, Yeti. "Y'all fell hard for that one, huh?" El Arroyo posted, calming down its followers. Looks like we'll see more signs after all!
