Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 26, 1984)
UNIVERSITY CLEANERS Special with Coupon Suede or Leather Jackets Cleaned $12.50 coupon expires May 18 I 693-4426 M-F 7:30-6 Sat 9-1 FM 2818 at Southwood — Half mile behind K-Mart Archie’s Restaurant owner brings burgers, tacos to thousands ofAggit By SARAH OATES Staff Writer First Presbyterian Church 1100 Carter Creek Parkway, Bryan 823-8073 Dr. Robert Leslie, Pastor Rev. John McGarey, Associate Pastor SUNDAY: Worship at 8:30AM & 11:OOAM Church School at 9:30AM College Class at 9:30AM (Bus fromTAMU Krueger/Dunn 9:10AM Northgate 9:15AMI Youth Meeting at 5:00PM Nursery: All Events It’s 11:30 a.m. and “Archie’s 39<£ Hamburger Place” has only been open for an hour and a half, but the slight, dark-haired and bespectacled young man behind the counter is cheerfully serving a line of customers that extends almost to the door. The line moves quickly as or ders for hamburgers, the only entree item offered, are taken. “It’ll be just a minute,” he says, glancing away for a second from the faces across the coun ter. In the same breath he smiles at the next customer and says, “May I help you?” Ten minutes later he breezes out of the swinging doors lead ing to the kitchen and plops down at one of the tables inside the brightly-lit, red-and-white restaurant, grinning and ready to talk. “This is incredible, this is the busiest restaurant I’ve owned,” says E.C. “Archie” Archam- bault, the 34-year old owner of “Archie’s 392 Hamburger Pla- 16” Supreme cheese w/2 items $7.99 plus 3 16oz. drinks EXPIRES 5/31 16” Supreme Cheese w/ 3 items $8.99 plus 3 drinks EXPIRES 5/31 16” Pc^2ja r 6. Deluxe w/6 items $10.99 4 free drinks EXPIRES 5/31 ce,” the latest addition to Col lege Station’s many fast food es tablishments. A strong belief in personal involvement means that the young owner of the three Taco Bell restaurants located in Bryan and College Station, as well as the thriving 392 Ham burger Place, can often be seen taking food orders and person ally overseeing food prepara tion. “Whenever I open a new lo cal restaurant, I live there for a month,” he says. Archambault says that after his First Taco Bell restaurant opened at 3901 S. Texas Ave. on Sept 6, 1976, “I worked about 16 hours a day. It was all me. I did everything from tak ing orders to frying shells.” Eight years and six restau rants later, he still often puts in a 16 hour day, but now his du ties run more toward “supervi sory work, P.R. and marketing.” Aisde from his local restau rants, Archambault owns a 392 Hamburger Place in Midland and one in Killeen, and will soon open another 392 Ham burger Place in each city, as well as two in Odessa. According to reports issued by the Pepsi Cola Co., owner of the Taco Bell restaurant chain, Archie’s Taco Beil restaurant at 310 N. Harvey Road leads the national chain in sales volume off and on throughout the year. “It usually leads during foot ball season,” Archambault said. Successful as he is now, Ar- chambault’s business achieve ments are the result of many years of hard work. His First Taco Bell restaurant did not seem destined for success. “It started off terrible,” he said. “This town just wasn’t re ady for a Taco Bell. We never lost money, but it took three years before we made any.” In February 1980, Archam bault opened his second Taco Bell, this one at 310 North Har vey Rd., and in August 1981, he opened the Taco Bell at 920 S. Texas Ave. in downtown Bryan. "It was about five years be fore I felt successful — before I felt I didn’t have to work a 20 hour day,” he said. The Vertnpnt-born entrepre neur started, in the food busi ness at the age of 17 when, while stationed at Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin, he •MSC • TOWN • HALL- ± n , * '"ith . Cel your ^ CAPTION PASSES lo Ihe ’84*’ MSC TOWN HALL concert season Soles start APRIL 30 udder Box Off murr a A? : '. % ■ ^ s ' ; - Limit 2 per ID Good for concerts only Post concerts pictured J Archie’s E.C. ‘Archie’ Archambault, shown here in front of his new 39c Ham burger Place, owns six restaurants — four in Bryan-College Station — and was hired to work at the Taco Bell owned by his stepfather, Ray Maddux. He worked for Taco Bell during his four years in the Air Force, then went into part nership with Maddux, purchas ing a Taco Bell franchise and moving to College Sta tion.Along with businessman Bill Apple, Maddux is also a partner in the 392 Hamburger Place franchise. Archambault says he chose College Station because “I liked the town and I liked the Aggies. It was a small town then and I saw a lot of growth potential.” He says that business at the 392 Hamburger Place has been “like a snowball rolling down hill,” and estimates that on a fairly busy day, between 3,000 and 5,000 of the 100 percent beef hamburgers are sold. On a busy day, he says, that number jumps to between 5,000 and 7,000. Those statistics aren’t bad, considering the restaurant has been open only since March 24. Archambault says the secret is “keeping it simple. All they a burger. It takes a system you add things it messes up your system.” The restaurant also offers side orders, such as french fries. Another reason for the res taurant’s popularity could be that it offers hamburgers for very low prices, ranging from 392 to 992 depending on the size of the burger, and keeps later hours than most fast food restaurants in Bryan and Col lege Station. It is open until 2 a.m. Sunday through Thurs day, and until 3:30 a.m. on Fri day and Saturday. pens, h could be a dukii washateria, but if I thinti| do it, I will.” He plans to open lOQttO ms around the state«■ rants the next three years. ,W| 392 Hamburger Place >i n< Archambault responds to questions about the rewards of success by saying that “I’m at a point right now in my lifestyle where I don’t need to make lots of money. I mean, this restau rant doesn’t have to bring in a lot of money. But it’s my busiest restaurant.” ip< iH (l m SeptembermHfc ui section ot 2:1id Sure!®* Texas Avenue in down Bryan, and Archambauli open another Taco Bells the street from BryanH Sc bool. He says he the Taco Bell at 3901 Sit Ave. into a 39f Hain^R ere Place. A r ween < low H Arc hambault becameaB^o tan ol Texas A&M feripegi sports while he was intl»R srn< Archambault hates being asked if he’s a business phe nomenon. “I just worked hard,” he insists. “Anybody could have done it.” Tore e. I Its dedication to bB l )U c loesn t leave him mudidB'K time, but when he’snotpfi ally serving customersal bis restaurants, Archan c an probably be found at' a Texas A&M galneOP^^ „ several high schoolginilft ■ ow ; Oli “I never had time to Hi what my other interest; .P rfv i () get is r g‘ ter run a place like this, and if As for future business ven tures, he says he might be inter ested in “Anything that hap- be,” he laughs, “I’venerafl taken more than a three-din IlyJ; aget of taui irmei Young A&M Oliv has ar Nonhj 'JVJ' WOMEN S MEDICAL iv CENTER OF NW HOUSTON Problem Pregnancy? •Early pregnancy testing •Abortion services through 18+ weeks •Private practice setting •Confidential counseling/Teen-age care •Surgical sterilization (tubal ligation) •Birth control information ■Ultrasound evaluation •Complete GYN care by a Board-Certified Gynecologist 713-440-1796 Robert P. Kaminsky, M.D. Medical Director 17115 Red Oak Drive, Suite 209 (near Houston Northwest Medical Center Hospital) “This,” he says, gestuiinj the patrons enjoying hall Bsph rrs at a table nearby,“isf Jyh; fe.” IN THE STEPPIN' AHEAD Get one step ahead by selecting your apartment housing NOW! Choose from six great Metro Properties locations and live within minutes of campus, shopping, res taurants, clubs, hanking facilities, and all locations are on the shuttle bus routes. Pre-leasing fall prices start at $260 for one bed room units and $375 for two bedrooms. |‘I tl at pi “We inch we are night t erne eme stem Ret dri Like P fns jiing le re ut als Special summer niMP**** available too! juststoplj any of our offices k for details. Enjoy amenities as FREE Ca 11 BO, pool, tennis coi 24-hour emergent! maintenance servkt| laundry rooms, ample storage. Sundance Seandia Sevilla 811 Harvey Road 401 Anderson 1501 Hollenian 693-4242 693-6506 693-6505 Sausalito Aurora Gardens Brownstone 1001 Harvey Rd. Aurora Ct. 603 S.W. Pkwy, 693-4242 693-6505 696-9771 ■ <> - ;■ IS METRO PROPERTIES MANAGEMENT, INC.