BRYAN, Texas — With many events taking place this summer in the city of Bryan, one local small business and food truck share how these community events are what help keep their business going.
Many small businesses took a hit in 2020, and places like Raging Bull Street Tacos are making a comeback.
Mike Marks owns the food truck and said he had to sell parts of his business, like his trailer, because he couldn’t make ends meet.
“We had catered events that were canceled,” said Marks. “We had some gigs that we were able to go to and we went, but it was deserted. I mean, we might have sold one or two plates and it costs a lot to get everything up and running because the event is different, but it was a disaster, to be honest, and why we had to let the business go for a while.”
Abigail Noel with Destination Bryan looks forward to events hosted by the city to help small businesses gain traction.
“Literally everything we do contributes to our small businesses in Bryan, Texas and that is something we take to heart and we’re very proud of,” said Abigail Noel, PR/Communications Manager at Destination Bryan. “We really make sure to focus on how our efforts can generate revenue for these local business owners."
According to the City of Bryan, in 2020, there were 68 food truck businesses, in 2021, there were 79, and today, there are 87.
Mike said cooking and serving the community is why he is back in business.
“It’s a big passion of mine to be out here,” said Marks. “I love working with the community. All of our stuff is sourced locally, from the meat to the produce, even our shirts, all of our stuff, because we want to be part of the community. That’s one of the biggest things to me.”
Noel said the small local businesses are what make the community.
“That is kind of our bread and butter,” said Noel. “It’s what we built our entire brand essence around, is the stories of these local businesses, the people that run them, the history of their business and what they do.”
For Marks to make a comeback, he realized inflation would impact his menu prices.
“We had to factor in the gas prices, the inflation of everything,” said Marks. “Since we source everything locally, the meats a little bit higher, produce is a little bit higher, the gas is definitely higher from 2020. When we came back and had to do our menu, we of course had to do a price increase.”
While 2020 may have forced Marks to close his business, he has dreams of expanding.
“A year or two from now, I want to have a second or third location or a location on Northgate,” said Marks. “That’s the dream.”
Marks said his goal right now is just to stay afloat through 2022 and continue to serve the community.