Austin businesses said they’re stocking up and increasing staffing as the Texas Longhorns prepare to face Texas State during a busy Labor Day weekend.
AUSTIN, Texas — It’s a busy Labor Day weekend in Austin as the Texas Longhorns prepare for their season opener Saturday.
Texas will face Texas State for the first time since 1930, facing off during Labor Day weekend.
For Austin businesses, that means more food, more staff and more decorations.
Kenneth Hooper, Koko’s Bavarian general manager, said the bar takes gameday very seriously, with televisions positioned at every angle throughout the space, including a massive screen made up of multiple TVs.
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“This is 9 TVs put together,” Hooper said. “We have some of the biggest screens in the city.”
He said gameday details also cover the bar, from UT banners to old newspaper articles and even a giant Bevo.
“I think he’s taller than me even though I don’t want to admit it,” Hooper said about the display.
At Cain and Abel’s, a West Campus sports bar, general manager Jaxen Bailey said staff have been preparing for Saturday for months.
“Our kitchen is really, really good,” Bailey said. “I’m hoping that people get to enjoy the burgers. That’s a new thing that we’ve added over the summer.”
Not everyone coming to Austin for the game calls Texas home.
Matthew Mardini traveled from Canada for his bachelor trip and said seeing the Longhorns play was part of the plan.
“The Longhorns have a great team this year,” Mardini said. “We wanted to come see Arch Manning in his last year. I thought it would be a good experience for 12 guys from Toronto.”
As for who will walk away with the win, Longhorn fans did not need much time to make their predictions.
“Horns by 100, easily,” Bailey said.
“It’ll probably be like 30 to 0 by half,” UT senior Sanjan Kondaparthi said.
Kickoff between Texas and Texas State is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday.