Summer is often the busiest time of year for restaurants across the country and Padre Island is no exception.
With tourist season in full swing, many local eateries saw packed dining rooms and long lines, serving not just island residents but visitors from all over the U.S.
For Seth Souza, manager of the Surfside Sandwich Shoppe, the influx was a welcome change.
"It's busy every single day pretty much and you know outside of the summer sometimes it's just weekends that are busy so we're able to have like a full staff in," said Souza.
That full staff was essential to handle the high demand, especially during peak hours.
Just on the same road, Guajillos on the Island, a Mexican restaurant, also experienced the seasonal surge. Co-owner of the restaurant Andres Rosas said the dining room stayed full.
"It was very very packed, our restaurant is not that big and it gets crowded every single day of the summer Monday through Sunda,” he said.
Guajillos has become a local staple, but it wasn’t long ago that the business faced serious challenges. Last year’s summer season took a hit when Tropical Storm Alberto made landfall.
"Everyone went away from Corpus so we got a bad summer last year because of the storm," Rosas said.
This year, the situation has turned around. With clear skies and an open coastline, tourists returned in full force — and business bounced back.
Now, as the season winds down, Rosas says the support from both locals and visitors means everything.
"We just happy that we still in business even though the economy has been hard. Every price of everything has been raising, we tried to maintain our prices for the local people," he said.
As summer wrapped up, business owners like Souza and Rosas are hopeful that the momentum continues into the fall and grateful for a season that brought more than just sunshine.
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