COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Restaurants across the nation took a hit during the pandemic as less people were leaving their homes, but one national franchise has decided to come to town as the pandemic continues.
Costa Vida in College Station opened its doors on July 14, and even during the outbreak, Costa Vida is bustling with business on your average Tuesday.
“We serve amazing food, fresh, vibrant, lively environment, we’re here for business meetings, we’re here for families, we want everyone to feel welcome. It’s a fun place to be. All our food is made from scratch every single day including our tortillas. We want people to come in and taste this freshness," said Costa Vida franchise owner Holly Johnston.
The restaurant was originally scheduled to open at the beginning of June, but the coronavirus delayed the date until mid July. Rather than waiting out the pandemic, the owners decided it was time to open.
“We had to open at some point. We already delayed our opening, and two years ago when we first started planning this project, you don’t know what’s gonna happen you just have to plan for anything. You need to overcome, and we just had to get our doors open and just wanted to bring Costa Vida to the College Station community," said Johnston.
Opening its doors during the outbreak though, meant more health and safety protocols. “ we do cleaning every 30 minutes, use the bleach solution, we temp all our employees when they come in the door, we have a log and we’re just asking them health questions when they come in, making sure that we’re all communicating about any needs that we may have," said Johnston.
If you don’t feel comfortable eating inside Costa Vida, they also have a drive-thru, online ordering, and food to-go.