Over the past few months, several new restaurants have settled into the Temple area, and packed parking lots offer no inclination that business is slow.
That’s what BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse in the Bird Creek Crossing shopping center found so appealing.
“We looked at surrounding restaurants in Temple, and they all seemed to do strong sale volumes,” said Greg Levin, BJ’s CFO.
BJ’s opened its doors in October, and has served 10,000 constomers a weekon average.
“We think we offer an attractive alternative to the bar and grill segment,” Levin said, noting competitors Chili’s Bar and Grill, and Applebee’s. “We provide a little more quality.”
Even though Temple restaurants are pulling in big business, the National Restaurant Association reported that the number of people eating out has leveled off during the last five years.
“You’ve had lower consumer confidence, which means you have fewer people coming to the doors,” said Bryan Poff, Austin Restaurant Association president.
About five years ago, consumers ate half of their meals at home and half away from home, Poff said.
“People are busy,” he said. “They don’t have time to cook at home.”
The average household expenditure for food away from home in 2005 was $2,634, or $1,054 per person, according to the National Restaurant Association.
Even if restaurants are able to draw in diners, Poff said, they may not opt for extras such as dessert or a bottle of wine.
Clinton Harwell, president of the Centex Restaurant Association and owner of the Duck Tavern and Pignetti’s, has seen these trends firsthand.
“I would definitely say that people are more conscious of what they’re spending than they have previously,” Harwell said.
Levin said BJ’s, which is a chain, isn’t seeing this pattern.
“Our business seems to be very robust,” he said. “Our goals have been consistent in what has been a challenging time based on consumer demands and other cost factors.”
“Overall, the Texas market has been a strong market for us.”
As of 2006, there were 33,694 eating-and-drinking places in Texas, according to the National Restaurant Association.
“Temple is still relatively small,” Harwell said. “Obviously, every restaurant you add divides a small market. Our main competition for restaurants isn’t restaurants; it’s grocery stores.
While there is no indication new grocery stores on their way to Temple, restaurants are keeping an eye on the bustling city.
In the upcoming months, Taco Cabana will break ground in Bird Creek Crossing shopping center on General Bruce Drive. A building permit filed in October revealed an estimated construction value of $850,000.
A wave of fast food restaurants has hit Temple and Belton this year.
Belton welcomed a Taco Express this summer with their 75-cent tacos. And if residents are hankering for some burgers, they can choose between a new Sonic and a Jack in the Box in Belton.
Whataburger on Loop 363 in Temple also settled in just last month.
Successful restaurants are never a sure thing.
“The restaurants that will be successful will be the restaurants that are innovative,” Harwell said. “And the restaurants that aren’t innovative will be the ones that struggle.”
To combat failure, some restaurants are looking for a niche. In Temple, that means seafood.
Crab Daddy’s and Baytown Seafood opened during the last few months, both with a mission to bring the delicacies of the sea to Temple.
“Temple was dying for it,” said Michael Knoop, Crab Daddy’s executive chef. “Everybody’s eating the same old thing. Where else in town can you get mahi-mahi?
“There is no other Cajun-Creole place in town,” Knoop said.
Crab Daddy’s offers dinner prices from $9.99 to $17.99 and lunch specials for $7.99.
The restaurant averages about 500 patrons each week, with seating for 70 people. And Knoop predicts more will be coming back for Crab Daddy’s fresh seafood gumbo.
“Business is going real good for a young business,” Knoop said, noting the restaurant’s plans to expand.
“In my eyes, as long as the food is good, everybody has to eat.”
