For Rolando González, the first international soccer game at Texas A&M’s Kyle Field on Saturday will be like an early Christmas gift.
The 31-year-old owns a Mexican restaurant near the A&M campus. Sales at his restaurant come primarily from the university’s students, faculty and staff members.
College football season is obviously the is the busiest time of year for businesses around College Station, a metro area of about 250,000 people. Business is typically slow in the summer, when some 40,000 students leave campus.
But Saturday’s match between Mexico and Brazil at Kyle Field could approach the international attendance record for a soccer game in the United States, with more than 100,000 fans in the stands.
The match will bring millions of dollars to the Bryan-College Station area, located halfway between Dallas and Houston, with restaurants among the biggest beneficiaries.
González, owner of Taco Bar Mexican Taste and Drinks, located a few blocks from Kyle Field, expects the soccer match will boost his sales 200 to 300 percent over a typical day.
“It will be like celebrating Christmas in the middle of summer,” said González, from Matamoros, Mexico, who graduated eight years ago with a degree in agricultural economics from Texas A&M.
$20 million boom
Saturday’s international friendly is an extension of the Mexican National Team U.S. Tour. It will occur immediately before the 2024 Copa America, making it the “send-off match” for the Mexican National Team and Brazil.
Copa América will be played from June 20 to July 14 at 14 venues in the United States, including AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
The Bryan-College Stadium Chamber of Commerce released a comprehensive report on what it expects the economic impact of Saturday’s match will be.
The report indicates that 30,000 fans and 450 journalists are expected to attend the Mexico and Brazil practices in College Station.
The match should fill more than 24,000 hotel room nights and generate estimated spending by teams, media, staff and fans of $21,097,425.
More than $14 million is expected to be spent on food, non-alcoholic beverages, entertainment, and shopping.
The report estimates that the sale of alcoholic beverages is more than $1,300,000.
“I think the most direct impact will be to our storefronts and restaurants. However, through sales taxes and sales revenue, the overall community will certainly benefit from these visitors in our community,” said Lina Adams, Communications Coordinator for Bryan, Texas.
Hotel prices skyrocket
Soccer fans from Dallas, Austin, Houston and elsewhere will converge on College Station for the match this weekend.
The listed seating capacity of Kyle Field is 102,733, although the Aggies have twice drawn crowds of more than 109,000 to football games. The U.S. record for an international soccer friendly is 109,318, set in 2014 in Ann Arbor, Mich., for a match between Manchester United and Real Madrid.
“We are proud to show the world what College Station is all about and the great atmosphere at Kyle Field for a soccer game between two powerhouses,” said Jeremiah Cook, Commerce Station Tourism Manager, Economic Development & Tourism.
Hotels in the area to increase their prices by more than 300%. Many hotels near the stadium charge up to $299 per night, while the same room is usually offered for $80.
Flowing margaritas
Alberto Sorto is another restaurant owner looking forward to the match.
Sorto owns “Masfajitas,” a Tex-Mex restaurant in College Station, and six other locations. He also has two stands inside Kyle Field.
The 55-year-old Salvadoran expects to serve at least 3,000 customers in his stands at the stadium on game day.
Tacos, quesadillas, nachos, and margaritas complete the menu that Sorto and his 30 employees will be preparing in the stadium seven hours before the match starts.
“It will be a long day of work, but we are ready. We are all very focused on what we have to do that day,” said Sorto, a big soccer fan with two seats available in the stands to watch the match.
“It’s an opportunity I don’t want to miss as a soccer fan,” Sorto said.
For game day, González has ordered 800 pounds of meat, twice the size of his typical weekend order, to prepare the tacos, burritos, and fajitas plates he offers his customers.
“We have spent months preparing for game day. All my employees are mentally ready for a long day of work,” said González.
The agricultural economist entered the food industry eight years ago after failing to find work in his field of study.
Gonzalez’s restaurant has grown from 1,500 to 5,000 square feet over the years and can seat 150 customers. He also has two food trucks to cater to private parties.
The restaurant has seven big-screen TVs that will all be tuned to the Mexico-Brazil match.
On game day, González hopes to sell between 1,000 and 1,500 bottles of beer.
“And lots of margaritas, too,” he said.
