The fourth week of August marks the beginning of a new semester. But for many neighboring businesses, it also marks a high tide in profits — summertime causes their pockets to suffer. Companies like Titanic Restaurant and Brewery, located near campus, and Book Horizons, located across U.S. 1, quickly fill up their cash registers due to the flooding student population.
“Because we’re basically on campus, we have a 50 percent increase in revenue. We have so many people suddenly appear at the same time. It takes a minute to get used to it,” said Tom Spain, general manager of Titanic Restaurant and Brewery.
While the restaurant offers coupons from time to time, they don’t spend money on advertisements.
“Students come anyway, because we’re practically on campus,” Spain said. “Mostly [they find out by] word of mouth. Everything here is so inexpensive it doesn’t make sense to run specials.”
And, since UM’s own Rathskeller recently moved its location due to the construction of the new student center, Spain hopes more students will be visiting Titanic Restaurant and Brewery searching for the same atmosphere the Rathskeller formerly had.
“I am excited about this school year because the Rat’s closed and I think that it’s going to help business quite a bit,” Spain said.
Book Horizons, a family-run business, anxiously waits for students to return each semester.
“We wait all year for the students to come back,” said Will Sekoff, one of the owners. “We love servicing UM students, it’s our main purpose here since 1953, providing the students the best service we possibly can.”
They offer coupons and gift certificates to students.
“We give away tons of promotional coupons and gift certificates to students through organizations and donations and feel very strongly about giving back to students at the U,” Sekoff said.
Freshman Tahreem Hashmi said she would consider the store when book shopping.
“Based what I have been told from other, older students, it seems like some place I would want to go to because of the cheap books and everything,” Hashmi said.