BRYAN, Texas — Community events like The Taste of Aggieland are key drivers for business success and revenue in both Bryan and College Station.
By attending events like this, it pours back into local businesses and restaurants that can struggle when summer approaches and students leave.
“The Brazos Valley Restaurant Association takes the funds from this event, and we put it back into education,” said Abbie Krolszyk, owner, Kesco Supply. “That’s our number one goal. With the Restaurant Association, it’s legislation and it’s benefit for the restaurants and it’s supporting these future chefs.”
Going to local restaurants and businesses helps these future chefs while still in high school and once they graduate.
Mary Beckman, owner of Amico Nave, understands how inflation is impacting all of us.
“We encourage you to continue to go out to dinner, continue to support not only local restaurants but businesses because for right now, I know all of us are working harder than we ever have for way less than we ever have,” Beckman said. “We understand that you’re spending more than you ever have to do the things that you want to do.”
Jenny Davis with Walk-Ons says college students help drive the cash flow in town, balancing inflation with demand.
“We do see the locals starting to come out more to an extent, but I know for many restaurants, when kids are gone, those colleges students do really drive quite a bit with the financial side of it,” Davis said.
Beckman says there is an ebb and flow to the community because of Texas A&M University.
“In the summers, we do slow down because we have a lot of kids that do leave and a lot of professors that don’t have to stay here for summer, so we naturally slow down and need less people, which is when people do want to go home.”
When college students are out for summer, many go home, but some stay and help drive business for both Bryan and College Station.
“The university provides a lot of financial support, and then for us it’s supports labor,” said Davis. “So, when the college students leave, for us, it’s who’s working because we do have a mix of college students.”
After being in business for 10 years, Amico Nave has a solution to when college students need a little break without taking a break from serving the community.
“We do create a buddy system, so you pick someone at your same level in the restaurant and you split whatever the holiday is, especially for Christmas and Spring Break,” said Beckman. “So you wither work when your buddy is off and your buddy works when you’re off.”
Grateful for a full staff, Beckman hopes to see inflation rates fall soon.
It impacts her supply, but it also pulls at the community’s wallets.
“It’s harder since COVID,” said Beckman. “I mean it’s been three years but we’re still feeling the effects of it. It’s a big difference and the interest rates continue to grow, and you can just feel everything. It feels like it’s pulling back slightly. We’re waiting to see. I’m hoping that they will not raise interest rates again and let everything kind of stabilize.”
By supporting local businesses and restaurants, this helps gift funds to students in the chef competition.
“They come in and buy anything they need for their classroom and they aways need everything and so it just helps them to get that so we give $500 to each of them,” said Krolszyk. “They’re ready to go to work. They’re able to go jump into any restaurant and a lot of the chefs around here hire them because they know what kind of experience they have.”
You can continue supporting the community by attending local events.
“They compete in a cross-town showdown,” said Krolszyk. “We give them a giant fork for whoever wins, and they’re given a protein. This year it’s beef and it’s like an Iron Chef competition. They cook a meal, they have 30 minutes to prepare and then 30 minutes to cook, and then they’re judge.”
If you watch to catch the culinary cook off competition between three local high schools, tickets are still available for The Taste of Aggieland hereor at the door starting Tuesday evening at 5 p.m.