Chaka Mahone, DAWA (Diversity Awareness and Wellness in Action) (July 29, 2026)

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Chaka Mahone, Founder/Creative Director, DAWA

About the Program:

Community is Our Greatest Technology

Community and collaboration as infrastructure for the future we want to see. Award-winning hip hop artist, Jonathan 'Chaka' Mahone has built an innovative, culture-forward, non-profit organization in the 'Live Music Capital' that has distributed over $500,000 in 6 years.

About the Speaker:

Jonathan 'Chaka' Mahone is a visionary storyteller who believes in the power of art, and the importance of the artist as a community catalyst for social and cultural change, economic development, healing, planning, and collective conversation. As a performing artist and musician, he has traveled the world as one-half of the award-winning hip hop duo, Riders Against the Storm (RAS). As a civic leader, Mahone became the first African-American Chair of Austin's Music Commission in 2021. In 2019, he founded DAWA (Diversity Awareness and Wellness in Action) to provide a safety net for People of Color that are experiencing short term life crisis.

More specifically, those who are givers: musicians, artists, social workers, teachers, healing practitioners, and service industry workers. Through its mission of ‘giving to the givers,’ and its vision of centering community and culture to drive social impact, DAWA has directly invested over a half million dollars in this group over the last 6 years.

Agenda:

6:45am - Coffee & Networking

7:10am - Breakfast Buffet

7:25am - Introductions & Announcements

7:50am - Speaker Introduction

8:20am - Q&A

8:30am - Leave inspired or curious!

Clay McPhail, Restaurateur (August 05, 2026)

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Clay McPhail, Restaurateur

Sign of the Times: Wit, Wisdom, and the Story Behind the El Arroyo Marquee

About the Program:

For decades, driving down 5th Street in Austin has meant bracing yourself for a laugh, a double-take, or a bite of cheeky local satire. Clay McPhail—founder, former long-time owner of El Arroyo, and current owner of 5280 Burger Bar—joins the Metropolitan Breakfast Club to share the origin story and enduring legacy of Austin’s most famous marquee sign.

What began in the late 1980s as a low-tech way to grab commuters' attention quickly evolved into an iconic cultural phenomenon. Clay will take MBC members behind the scenes of the sign's history, sharing the inspiration, marketing lessons, and unforgettable local reactions—from viral jokes and national media features to the occasional outrage—that made the marquee a staple of Austin’s identity.

About the Speaker:

Clay McPhail is an Austin entrepreneur, restaurateur, and the creator behind one of the city's most recognizable cultural landmarks: the El Arroyo marquee sign. After moving from Tyler to attend the University of Texas, McPhail took over El Arroyo on West 5th Street in 1985. He operated the beloved Tex-Mex spot for 25 years before selling the business in 2012. McPhail later co-founded 5280 Burger Bar in Denver in 2014, eventually bringing the concept back home with a location in Austin. Today, he remains an active figure in the local community, frequently sharing insights on branding, humor, and Texas hospitality.