By CATHERINE DONNELLY
Special to the PRESS
It’s one of the realities of doing business in cities that rely on tourism. Many people and entities want to avoid discussing it, but there will be peak and off times to work through.
Knowing this, many businesses in the past had strategized these slower times to take vacations or close for repairs.
As previously reported in the PRESS, the focus of the Convention and Visitors Bureau South Padre Island is to entice events, conventions and other tourism to the island during these slower times of the year to help the lows not be so low. Here is a look at what some small businesses have done.
In 2019, business owner, Miguel Gonzalez, and his family took over the Shark Tank Lounge in Port Isabel. They put their stamp on it, developing it into a local hangout and creating a relaxing place for all to gather.
“Our success, I think, is from making this a family-owned and family-friendly business and putting Mama in the kitchen,” said Faridy Gonzalez, Shark Tank manager, and sister to Miguel. This way, everyone gets to enjoy her amazing cooking.” Faridy is also one of the servers behind the bar.
According to Faridy, the key is to provide a variety of menu choices (pork chops a la Mexicana, Mexican daily specials, club sandwiches, burgers, and more) and consistency in product. They have an excellent lunchtime following and a reputation for serving good food at very reasonable prices.
Shark Tank has a full bar serving beer, wine, and cocktails. Their Happy Hour is all day, every day. There are two pool tables and televisions that show sports and other programming.
There are a variety of different seats to chill and hang out. Various DJs & local bands provide entertainment on weekends, and there are daily food specials.
“I like to refer to the Shark Tank as a bar and grill that also serves drinks and shots,” said Faridy, “We’re very thankful for the locals who like our atmosphere and come and hang out with us.”
Hopper Haus is another restaurant that had previous owners. When the Causeway Cafe was up for sale post-pandemic when many businesses were struggling, the original cook, Baylr Bickerton, told his family. They started discussing the possibility of buying it.
In October 2021, the five family members bought the restaurant and closed it for renovations.
Barton Bickerton had the idea for the theme to incorporate the Starhopper test ship from SpaceX with a German Haus Biergarten to offer craft beers and German food selections like their Schnitzel plate. They opened at the end of January 2022, and business has been building ever since.
The Hopper Haus has established itself as having an excellent beer and drink selection, great food, and tons of entertainment. They offer daily food and drink specials that are pairings of a sort, like margaritas on Taco Tuesdays, their most popular weekday night.
Monthly, they hold pint nights where a brewery will send branded items like glasses with their logo, that come free with every pint while supplies last. On other days, there are canned domestic and craft beer of the day specials.
They have a fun concept called the “Brown Bag Special,” which appeals to drinkers who don’t want to spend too much on their beer. The customer gets a mystery beer in a paper sack, usually something like Busch Lite, Lone Star, or Pabst Blue Ribbon, for only $2 each.
“One thing that we do is to have our happy hour between our rushes, so it’s daily from 2 to 5 p.m.,” said Ernesto Zavaleta. “I look at the public alcohol sales information and the bars on the island have wild swings in sales, while we seem to have achieved better sales consistency.”
The Hopper Haus also offers regular live musical entertainment every Friday and Saturday night. They try to select original singer/songwriters like Texas Country Music and some folksy Americana. They also host Trivia every Thursday night that draws a regular crowd and even a pub crawl occasionally.
The Biergarten hosts adopt-a-pet events and arts and crafts fairs to reach out to the community. There have been arts and crafts sales to benefit a women’s empowerment group, and they hosted a 5k run that started and ended there.
As previously reported in the PRESS, Joe’s Oyster Bar in Port Isabel wants the customer to get the best dining experience from beginning to end. They provide the freshest gulf fish and seafood cooked to order with some of the best service and prices that won’t break the bank.
“Joe doesn’t want anyone to leave hungry,” said Cecilia Castillo, Joe Castillo’s wife.
Other local establishments, like the Coral Reef on South Padre Island and Harley’s in Bayside, say they’re some of the last bars to allow their customers to smoke. They also provide a friendly atmosphere with their brand of constant entertainment, as outlined in past issues of the weekly PRESS and the monthly South Padre Parade. The Upper Deck has excellent food, drinks, service, constant events, and other entertainment, including Monday karaoke and Tuesday trivia nights.
The key is to figure out a business’s niche and then do that to the best of its ability. Reaching out with advertising and social media helps get the word out to keep building up the customer base.
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