College Station City Closures: The city sees an influx in restaurants and entertainment centers

Article By: Shalina Sabih, Staff Writer | BCS Chronicle

What You Need To Know:

• Recent closures of popular restaurants in College Station are raising concerns about local economic health and community impact.

• The City of College Station is actively working on redeveloping closed properties and attracting new businesses to fill vacancies.

• Economic factors such as inflation and the aftermath of COVID-19 are contributing to the trend of restaurant closures in the area.

• Business owners are advised to target permanent residents, use social media, offer delivery services, and engage with city development resources to thrive in the college town market.

Welcome to College Station, population 129,141, with a median family income of $69,371. Although those numbers sound impressive, the town has recently seen some negative statistics as well. One of these negative stats is an increase in the number of restaurants and entertainment venues that have closed down over the past few months. Popular national and local chain restaurants such as Mo’s Irish Pub, World of Beer, Mad Taco, Hooters, and Casa Olé are among some of the recent casualties. 

Hooters, like many other restaurants, succumbed to the current market conditions. After their closure, they released a statement mentioning that they made the difficult decision to close a select number of underperforming stores throughout the nation, with our College Station location being one of them. 

College Station residents were shocked by the closure of Mo’s Irish Pub, as they had a prime location, occupying a large space on the corner of University Drive and College Pkwy in Century Square.  Following this unexpected closure, Mo’s stated that they would issue a press release to provide public information but never followed up with any supplementary statement regarding their decision to close the location.

Ian Curtis has lived in College Station for 14 years and described his love for Mo’s. “I go there for the food and go there to watch soccer and that was disappointing because there is not something that could fill the niche,” said Curtis, emphasizing his love for Mo’s.

Trend of Restaurant Closures in College Station Raises Concerns

Popular Mexican restaurant, Casa Olé closed its doors Wednesday, June 19. One of College Station's most popular dance bars, Hurricane Harry’s, is also shutting its doors, and rumors have been circulating that Northgate's most popular restaurant, Dollar Slice Club, will also close down soon. Many of these restaurants and their owners did not respond to questions about the sudden closures which have left people in the town wondering if there is a trend going around with all of the recent closures

“Now I do not know the economic and business side of things, but you normally get summer closures, especially in a college town,” said local Curtis. “Some of this has to be (the) budget, nationwide inflation, and so many places trying to fill the same niche.”

Redevelopment and Rebranding Efforts

Hurricane Harry’s released a statement mentioning there will be redevelopment on the property they currently occupy in early 2025 and an announcement of what will take their place has yet to be made. The economic development coordinator for the City of College Station, Stacey Vasquez, mentioned that her team is constantly working on replacing the empty suites so the city can have a constant flow of traffic in certain areas. “We will try to reach out to the owners of these businesses to see if there is anything we can do as far as helping them find another location that can possibly work for them in the city,” said Vasquez. On the bright side, Dollar Slice Club is not closing permanently, instead, they have plans to rebrand and open Famous Famiglia. The owners listened to what people said and decided to change the brand and revamp the menu to bring more items to the table.

While closures have reasons that vary from rebranding into a different concept, stores not getting enough foot traffic or long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it should not be a reason to stray away from this profession. Vasquez brought up the excitement of welcoming 29 new businesses that are slated to open. These vary from restaurants, retail, and entertainment. “When we do have a space that's vacated we try to backfill that space and it is very important, (because) I don’t think anyone likes to see vacant spaces,” said Vasquez. “We’re excited that some of these businesses coming in are actually backfilling existing spaces.”

There are various resources the city provides to help in this line of work. Vasquez brought up how the team stays in contact with the SBA and the Texas governor's office and it helps them put people in the right direction of what they need. They also work with a national retail consultant and they assist in attracting specific retail stores that come into the city. You can find more information about the city and its development here. “We have several new restaurants coming into town including a couple of cookie places, a furniture store, and Pop Stroke, an entertainment service which we are really excited about,” said Vasquez. 

In general, COVID and its effects continue to have an impact on this field, primarily on costs of goods and employees. There is no set answer for why these restaurants are closing, but business owners should keep in mind the 3-month drought that occurs once all the college kids leave. “You have to really learn the college dynamic market,” said local Corbin Olson. “You have to figure out how to do business in 8 months a year to pay for 12 months of expenses and unless you figure that out, the college communities can be a hard place to make a profit.”

Tips for Staying Open and Thriving

As a store owner, there are many ways to stay open:

• Market to College Station’s permanent residents and not just students

• Find ways to promote your brand on social media 

• Accommodate delivery services 

• Offer deals and coupons.

• Solicit feedback and listen to what customers want.

• Choose a profitable, popular location if possible... Ex: Walkable distance from the university and being close to local hotspots.

• Find ways to make your business stand out.

• Reach out to your city development department (They are here to help)

• Similar to Dollar Slice Club, find out why the restaurant is not making money and fix those issues.