Saltgrass Steakhouse, a post-Sewell grub hub off Sessom Drive, is opting to move away from the Texas State-owned property, effective fall 2019.
Saltgrass announced it wouldn’t renew its lease on the riverfront property and is instead going to relocate to the old Logan’s Roadhouse building off Interstate 35 in fall 2019. According to Director of Auxiliary Services John Root, the relocation will offer it a better opportunity to be more successful at their new location. The move has prompted Texas State, who owns the land, to look for a new lessee to occupy the building by fall of this year.
Although the search is ongoing, Vice President for Finance and Support Services Eric Algoe wants to find a restaurant to appeal to students and residents.
“Our hope is that we can find a replacement that is as popular with the entire San Marcos community and more popular with our students compared to Saltgrass,” Algoe said. “There are several popular restaurants that have shown interest.”
Similarly, Root said the new establishment should be student-friendly by offering lower prices.
“We are still negotiating, but we want to find a restaurant that is more student-friendly with a lower price point and adds to the culture of the San Marcos community due to its proximity to the river,” Root said.
Exercise and sports science junior Lauren Miller is looking forward to the change, hoping the new restaurant will be a place students can go to before football games or after class.
“I definitely think it should be a college-friendly environment, something that’s reasonably priced and students can enjoy,” Miller said. “It would be great if it’s somewhere we can go before tailgate.”
However, San Marcos residents and Saltgrass regulars like Jason Castro are worried about how the change will be lucrative if the prices are low to appeal to the student population.
“Whatever is going to replace Saltgrass has to have the prices that appeal to students, but still be successful enough to pay rent and employees,” Castro said.
The success of the potential new restaurant is yet to be determined but Texas State officials are hoping that with its proximity to campus, it will be a place popular with the student community.
The University Star reached out to Saltgrass employees and managers who said they were not allowed to talk to media.