Students express excitement over new restaurants around campus
This summer, students will be treated to a new dinner options close to campus with the Chick-fil-A franchise returns to Wichita Falls.
Students like Ami Blackmon, a senior in general business, said having more food choices like Chick-fil-A makes the surrounding campus area more student-friendly.
“I lived in Henrietta before I came to school at MSU so I have known the area for a while,” said Ami Blackmon, a senior in general business. “A few years ago, Wichita Falls had a poor selection, but now we have a good variety of options.”
Wichita Falls has several restaurants conveniently located near MSU, and many restaurant franchises have moved here because it has become a thriving college town.
“Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwich Shops began opening primarily in college towns and interestingly, many students developed a cult-like obsession for the sandwiches,” said Senior Account Executive of Public Relations Mary Trader.
Trader also said Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwich Shop started at Eastern Illinois University.
“It was natural for the company to open a location near Midwestern State University because our primary and original customers are college students,” said Trader.
Many MSU students like the restaurants that remind them of home.
“My favorite new restaurant in town is Qdoba,” said pre-law and history education junior Stanley Kurunwune. “It’s like Chipotle and Freebird’s which is where my friends and I always go when we are home in Austin.”
Kurunwune also likes the convenience of fast-food places such as Chicken Express because he doesn’t always feel like cooking.
Other students find certain restaurants to be more appealing, not only for their food, but also because of their business.
“I love Jersey Mike’s because it is different than the other sandwich shops and it really reaches out to the community through their business,” said Paden Lemons, a freshman in mass communication. “They are really personable.”
“For the month of March, every Jersey Mike’s raises money for a local charity by committing a day’s worth of sales to the chosen organization,” General Manager Matthew Mayo said. “All of the profits from Wednesday, the 27th, will go towards The Arc of Wichita County.”
Jersey Mike’s was originally a popular restaurant chain on the East Coast, but finally started franchising in Texas in recent years.
“My favorite part of the job is getting to talk to the customers and being able to hear a little about their day as we make the sandwiches in front of them,” Mayo said.
The Wichita Falls location is one of the first of dozens of locations opened in Texas because of the many college students.
A popular restaurant in the works has the campus buzzing about chicken.
“My favorite place to get food is Chic-fil-A,” said music senior Loresa Chisum. “I’ve been looking forward to this restaurant since before they finally announced that it was coming back to Wichita Falls.”
This long-time-coming opening has been anticipated by MSU students since the rumors started. Many students are thrilled about the opening because they come from the Dallas-Fort Worth area where the restaurant chain is abundant.
“We are excited to come to this market as we grow the Chick-fil-A brand throughout the state of Texas,” said Public Relations Executive Brenda Morrow. “At this point, we are projecting a third quarter opening.”
Despite the chicken hype, some students still want to see other popular eateries brought to Wichita Falls.
“We need a Rudy’s BBQ because it has brisket that is on point,” Kurunwune said.
“I’d like to see a Souper Salad built in Wichita Falls because it’s really good food and my dad loves it,” said Lemons.
Some students native to Wichita Falls appreciate the recent developments in the town’s restaurant business.
“Wichita Falls has way more restaurants and a better variety than they had for many years,” said Chisum. “Because I grew up here and have seen Wichita Falls without any new restaurants for years I won’t complain about the amount of new restaurants we have.”
