The idea that Commerce developer Mike Oglesby is planning to add restaurants and clubs to Monroe Street in an effort to make the town more “student friendly” should be music to the ears of anyone that has looked at their roommate on a Friday night, shrugged their shoulders and said “I don’t know, you want to go to Braum’s again?”
If you asked any student in Commerce the names of the restaurants in town, he or she would likely be able to rattle off every single one pretty easily, mostly because we have explored them all many, many times over. We appreciate the dining choices currently available to us (please don’t go anywhere Lone Star), but students are starving for more variety.
In fact, we hope the new businesses will show other major retail and fast food establishments that Commerce is a place worth investing in, and that more recognizable franchises will start popping up around town as a result.
Also, this kind of economic development will only support the university’s effort to get more students to live on campus. By giving them more variety in their entertainment options, students will be less inclined to drive home on the weekend just so they can eat at a Jack in the Box or Whataburger. Simply put, if you want more students to stay, give them more things to do here.
We see no downside to this expansion. It will bring more money and more jobs to Commerce, and will accelerate the economic expansion efforts the town has already begun. Plus, students get more places to go on a Saturday night. It’s a win-win.