COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) -As tens of thousands have flocked to College Station this weekend for the NCAA Super Regional and Saturday night’s Mexico vs. Brazil soccer clash at Kyle Field, the city brims with excitement. As Aggieland hums with sports enthusiasts filling the streets, establishments like E11even Bar and Grill and Taco Bar bustle with activity, seeing a surge in visitors while eager to showcase Aggieland’s renowned hospitality and offering a taste of local cuisine.
Crystal Garcia, owner of E11even Bar and Grill, reports a spike in business ahead of both major events. Both establishments will be airing the games for customers to enjoy.
“Since the events started coming to town, we’ve seen an increase in foot traffic in our business. Although we are located three minutes from Northgate, we don’t see too many different clientele other than the locals. So with them coming in, our revenue has shot up, especially at night,” said Garcia.
Garcia says it’s exciting to see a fanbase in town that is different from the normal football crowd they are used to seeing in the fall.
“Yesterday we saw probably about a hundred different people that came in that we don’t normally see. Because our target clientele are locals, we have benefited from what’s going on at Kyle Field,” said Garcia. “Right now, during our slower periods, it has increased. There are more food sales that we have going on versus alcohol sales, which is what our target is: to get our food menu out there.”
Rolando Gonzalez, owner of Taco Bar, echoed similar sentiments.
“It’s been really exciting. It’s been a lot of work with our team, you know, trying to figure out how to plan for such a different event. In summary, we’re used to football games and regular football season, but being summertime it’s a new experience. So we worked together, we got it done, and now we’re hopeful for today and we’re ready to go,” said Gonzalez.
Both businesses say weekends like these show just how tight-knit the Bryan-College Station community is and how impactful these events are for the business community as a whole.
“I think they’re really important because it brings the community together beyond just the regular weekend. Everybody wants to go out on the weekend, have a good time, and it’s good to have these events, especially during the summer when everything slows down and dies down, to bring a little extra breather for us, the hotel industry, and pretty much every business in town,” said Gonzalez.
“As I know that it’s been reported on KBTX and Rusty has reported it on several of his pages, a lot of businesses are going out of business. Especially the small mom-and-pop shops like ourselves, we just can’t keep up, and with inflation, it has driven us to having to shut our doors. I believe this is creating more revenue for those of us who are struggling. It brings in a lot more, and I believe as a community, it’s going to benefit us as a whole, not just the commercial chains,” Garcia added.
Stacey Vasquez, Economic Development Coordinator for College Station, emphasized the economic impact of these events.
“We are super excited here at the City of College Station for all the wonderful events we have going on. Not only do we have our typical youth sports tournaments that we’re hosting over the summer, along with the various conferences and conventions, but we have huge events like the Mexico tour with Mexico vs. Brazil and then George Strait next weekend. So definitely lots of exciting things going on in town,” said Vasquez.
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