BRYAN, Texas — If you’ve been living in Bryan/College Station for some time chances are you have a memory associated with Pepe’s Mexican Cafe.
"Like I often say, ‘There’s a lot of good Tex-Mex around here, but by God, we’re one of them,'" said Kip Martin, the owner and operator.
The Bryan restaurant has been serving the Brazos Valley for more than 50 years. Martin said they’ve had their fair share of ups and downs, but of course, 2020 has brought its own set of obstacles.
"I can say that if it wasn’t for the Payroll Protection Program that we got in April we wouldn’t be here," Martin said.
Pepe’s is down about 20 percent of profit compared to this time last year. Right now only their drive-thru is open for service. It has been that way since the pandemic forced restaurants to close dining rooms in March.
Even though the state of Texas has allowed restaurants to operate at 75 percent capacity, Pepe’s can’t reopen dine-in until much-needed repairs are done.
"We’ve had to struggle just to do all the things that we need to do, but there can’t be a world without Pepe’s," Martin said. "Pepe’s has got to be here.”
While places like Pepe’s are still pushing through to keep their restaurant alive, others in the BCS community aren’t as fortunate.
Madden's Casual Gourmet announced it’ll be closing their doors after 17 years. Their last day open will be Dec. 31.
“We had really high hopes when we first reopened," said Brant Jensen, the general manager. "We tried to do a bunch of different things like online ordering and different delivery deals.”
While the Downtown Bryan staple tried its best to make a profit through the uncertain times, it just was not enough to still pay the bills.
“It was a hard decision for us, but we didn’t want to resign our lease and put our landlords in a bad position because we didn’t know what the future holds," Jensen said.
Management hopes to be able to relocate some staff members to sister restaurants around town.
Even in a rough year for most, Martin is still staying optimistic about his business. He is grateful to the BCS community that supports his restaurant every day. A GoFundMe has been set up by Martin’s former classmates to help pay for the repairs.
“It’s just overwhelming and unexpected," Martin said.
Pepe’s hopes to have its repairs finished and reopen the dining room by Mar. 1, 2021.