BlueMiles said:
I think that Burger Boy used to use bicycles, but a lot has changed since then.
Indeed. According to an article in December 1996, 90% of the business was done by bicycle delivery. Burger Boy had extremely cheap in those days ($650 a month for what I can probably guess was a 500 square feet space, about half of what other storefronts were renting...and Northgate was actually cheaper than other parts in town, Brian Lippman moved his store to Northgate because it was cheaper than Culpepper Plaza)...but it's logistics too.
The campus delivery worked because you could actually deliver to someone's door in those days, now they have to go out to you, which drives up times and makes that model completely unfeasible.
NotJPMorgan said:
If they ever do cap University drive and do a small, local access road at grade like has been proposed, some timed/enforced street parking would do wonders for the businesses on the ground floor of these buildings. Maybe restaurants aren't the best idea for these locations in current conditions. The CVS next door doesn't seem to be hurting.
Any potential construction would do a lot of damage to businesses on Northgate. But...they did offer on-street parking in front of the Chicken and others until that ugly fence went in.
I'm not sure about just how much CVS is winning or losing. It might actually generate decent foot traffic, along with CVS' propensity for light staffing...and probably less shoplifting too. But the reality is they're locked into a lease, and the fact that they're remaining open doesn't really indicate much. If they were REALLY losing money hand over fist then they'd probably close it and just eat the rent. If they were in a 15-year lease contract, then that could be up next year.
As far as New Development goes, it looks like Hampton Inn wanted to go with a blue-accented hotel but College Station has mandated it must be in shades of tan.