NM. Just saw it in the Comings Goings thread. Damn.

Service was absolutely awful the last time we were there. Like I was ready to get up and leave without eating level bad.

Longtime College Station restaurant closes unexpectedly

must be the raised medians...

We go there quite often because of the patio. Sorry to see it go. But I think the owner's blaming the growth of BCS and the recession is bull sheet.

Obstructive left hand turn due to a median hasn't killed Texas Ave Chick Fil-A. Can't blame it on Ozona's closure. I'll miss their Eggs Benedict and Rosemary Potatoes. It was my go-to breakfast place because of the nice patio.

In the 2004 timeframe, I once saw a rat run across the dining room floor. It was close to the size of a small cat. I have kept that secret until today friends.

in 2006 my roommate was a bartender at Ozona and said a rat fell out of the ceiling onto a table, and they constantly had issues with roaches. I cant believe they've stayed open this long, but alcohol is profitable and they would have big patio nights. Once those stopped being big it was the beginning of the end

Went with my wife once after an afternoon Aggie game maybe two seasons ago. Stumbled in around when dinner rush should have been, but we were only one of maybe five or six tables in the entire restaurant. That was eye-opening.

I've told my wife before, but this city lives on four-year cycles due to its massive amount of students. You look at restaurants and businesses that persist, like Wings 'N More, or Sweet Eugene's, or Aggieland Outfitters. They all keep their business steady from continued waves of new students who are informed of them by word of mouth.

You can have a business here for 20-30 years, but if that continued student traffic dies out because word of mouth does, then you're going to have a bad time. I have no idea if that's what ultimately doomed Ozona, but I will look forward to eating on that patio again whenever a new restaurant moves in.

Ozona really wasn't the same after covid restrictions. That bloody mary bar they did every Sunday brunch was the heat. Dollar margarita night and Ozonaritas on the deck with live bands was cool too. Somehow that all went away and the place seemed dumpy in recent years. The food became below average and they did little to promote themselves or their deck party. Combine that with crappy service after covid, and that was the beginning of the end.

Something about that area blows for restaurants. Carinos was that way with ****ty, ****ty service a few years ago. Haven't been back since. I'd rather eat at Rudy's anyway

Restaurants in good locations that offer patrons a nice dining experience survive. The problem is not only poor management but management forgets that they are more then selling food. The are selling a smile at the door, clean tables and plates, a well trained waitstaff that portrays a friendly smile, decent warm food at a reasonable price, etc. The are selling the manager visiting each dining group at least once during their stay thanking the patrons and asking if they need anything.

As mentioned above, we would go to Ozona at least once if not twice a month. Always sat on the patio. If it was cold, hot, rainy, etc. we went somewhere else. We knew we were getting students as wait staff and had no issues. Did we have to wait occasionally for another beer, or Jumbo strawberry Ozonarita? Sure. But it's a college town with college students waiting tables. Until someone else buys it, I'm gonna miss that patio.

They still had the Bloody Mary bar on weekends. We had it a couple of weeks ago. It just hasn't been the same place the last couple of years. Dirtier, emptier. That really affects business after a while. You have to invest money to make money. Wonder when they last did a deep clean?

Maybe, like Johnny Carino's, it was just too far from the bypass?

Cost did not justify inadequate service or quality of food/drinks.

I wish Costa would open the old Cafe Eccel there. Move the pizza oven in. We loved the old location in the old CS city hall.

As kind a sentiment as that is, I'm afraid that's an impossibility….

woodiewood1 said:

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I wish Costa would open the old Cafe Eccel there. Move the pizza oven in. We loved the old location in the old CS city hall.

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Bingo.

Went there a couple weeks ago and, though our waitress was nice, I was shocked at the overall lack of effort. I think they'd already given up. Mexican beer wasn't served with a lime, margarita was served without salt, lime, or any garnish whatsoever. Little things but for a bar to just throw stuff out without even trying, it signaled to me the beginning of the end.

SRCag18 said:

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Went with my wife once after an afternoon Aggie game maybe two seasons ago. Stumbled in around when dinner rush should have been, but we were only one of maybe five or six tables in the entire restaurant. That was eye-opening.

I've told my wife before, but this city lives on four-year cycles due to its massive amount of students. You look at restaurants and businesses that persist, like Wings 'N More, or Sweet Eugene's, or Aggieland Outfitters. They all keep their business steady from continued waves of new students who are informed of them by word of mouth.

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I worked for a local pizza place that has been around for 10-15 years now. Every year, we gave away hundreds of pizzas to freshman via events and coupon handouts. Vital... And if you can get em as freshman you can keep them for 4 years.

FlyRod said:

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Maybe, like Johnny Carino's, it was just too far from the bypass?

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I've share this before, but it never gets old to me.
Long ago, when the Olive Garden was next to the Outback in the Target shopping center, the OG burned to the ground one night.

A few weeks later, I was at an event where Dave South was speaking, and he said, "Did you hear that they caught the guy that burned down the Olive Garden? (Silence). It was Johnnie Carino." With the name being said like Jah-knee Cuhreeno.

That sounds like Dave.