BOISE, Idaho — Class is back in session at Boise State University and local business owners are excited for students to be back on campus.
- BSU students are back on campus for the first day of classes.
- Many businesses around BSU see an increase in sales once class is back in session.
- Pie Hole and Papa Joe's Italian Restaurant are just two businesses near campus that feel the positive impact of students back on campus.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
Students are back on campus at Boise State and that's good news for surrounding businesses.
I'm your Boise State neighborhood reporter Jessica Davis at Papa Joe's where the owner tells me they rely on those hungry students to stay afloat.
"Excitement, absolute elation,” is how Patrick Smith feels after seeing students back on campus.
Smith owns Papa Joe's Italian restaurant, right across Capitol Boulevard from Boise State University.
"Lusk district itself is a little bit of an oasis and we're dependent on BSU, so with BSU energy back, with the Morrison Center energy back, we're all excited for this,” says Smith.
Since purchasing the restaurant in 2020, Smith says business has been slow, but with the number of students he's seen walking by, his hopes for this year are high.
Smith says, “The last week we had move-in weekend, so we've seen the parents and the kids. We've been very busy for the last few days because of that , so we've seen family excitement, lots of new students and just the energy is back.”
"It’s controlled chaos, the easiest way to describe it,” says Andrew Rechsteiner, owner of Pie Hole on Broadway.
On the other side of campus, Pie Hole on Broadway also relies on students looking for a late-night pizza fix.
"We really do see a fall off in the summer where we slow down significantly and then its kind of a snap of a finger and chaos,” says Rechsteiner.
Rechsteiner looks forward to the first home football game, expecting business to be booming.
He says, "Every year we have the opportunity to make first impressions so we get a new set of freshman at the university every year. I always push my employees, like hey guys, this is a first impression, we want freshman to come to us and have a great experience with us because then they come to us for four years.”
Make sure you're being aware while driving in the BSU area. While classes are going on there are many places throughout the campus that experience high volumes of traffic.
