Today on Aggieland Unlocked, we briefly go over information from the BCS Chamber of Commerce 2023 Economic Outlook presentation and we have a fabulous interview with chef Charles Stover, owner of Charlie Mac's Burger Kitchen--a must eat at food truck located in South College Station.
Guest Website: https://www.facebook.com/CharliemacsBurgers
Website: www.buyincollegestation.com
FB: RayleneLewisRealtor
Twitter: RayleneRealtor
Insta: raylenelewisrealtor
Youtube: @RealtorRaylene
Philanthropy Project: AVM Alliance
Today on Aggieland Unlocked, we briefly go over information from the BCS Chamber of Commerce 2023 Economic Outlook presentation and we have a fabulous interview with chef Charles Stover, owner of Charlie Mac's Burger Kitchen--a must eat at food truck located in South College Station.
Guest Website: https://www.facebook.com/CharliemacsBurgers
Website: www.buyincollegestation.com
FB: RayleneLewisRealtor
Twitter: RayleneRealtor
Insta: raylenelewisrealtor
Youtube: @RealtorRaylene
Philanthropy Project: AVM Alliance
Howdy. I'm Raylene Lewis.
Heather Golladay:And I'm Heather Golladay.
Raylene Lewis:We've been a part of the Bryan College Station community since the mid nineties. We like to shop, we like to eat.
Heather Golladay:We love a good drink
Raylene Lewis:every now and then, and we love this area we call home with over 20 years real estate experience, 1500 property sales, and 635 star reviews
Heather Golladay:because that's how we roll.
Raylene Lewis:We are here to show. Aggieland unlocked. Now, before we get to the yummy part of today's podcast, I wanna talk a little bit about the BCS Chamber of Commerce who presented their 2023 economic outlook. This week, the Bryan College Station area saw an increase in population. With no surprise there, but what might be a surprise is that the overall income is now above pre covid numbers. The real estate market is stabilizing and beginning to normalize over the hectic activity from the last two years. December saw an increase in listings over November with most of the homes sold between the 200 and$300,000 price range. Buyers that previously took time off from the market over the last year are slowly reconnecting with lenders and now reentering the real estate market with new budgets, which are creating some competition in our current market. Now we're super excited to introduce you to a little gem in South College Station, a food truck. Charlie Mac's Burger Kitchen, currently open only for lunch and specializing in the most amazing old style burgers you'll find with names like cheesegasm. You know you're gonna wanna make it a regular visit. With me today is Charles Stover with Charlie Mac's Burger Kitchen. Thanks for joining us today.
Charles Stover:Well, thank y'all for having me. This is awesome.
Raylene Lewis:So tell me about your business. Where are you located?
Charles Stover:I'm located in South College Station. I'm at, technically at the corner of Barron Road and Highway six. I'm attached to a building, so I've got a food truck. So I, I just parked there and people come up. Been there for about a year now.
Raylene Lewis:Big yellow food truck with delicious smells for people who are driving by. This is where they're coming from.
Charles Stover:That's me in the flesh.
Raylene Lewis:Okay, so first of all, what are your hours, because I'm always driving by because I want one of your hamburgers cuz they're absolutely amazing and you're never open.
Charles Stover:Here's what's funny. So I kind of adjust my hours according to the semester, the first semester, like fall semester's got games. So it really affects the way we do business. I can't get people in there at night to save my life. You've got football, you've got so many different things and I just haven't had good luck at nights. during the fall, so during the spring, I'm opening lunches. I do 11 to one 30, and I think, well, I have to tell everybody here 11 to one 30, but I usually sell out at about one. I mean, it's just such a small truck. I can't keep a ton of food. And so one ish is usually when I sell out, and then I'm gonna open nights probably maybe at the end of this week. So I'll do five 30 to eight.
Raylene Lewis:Woohoo. That's what I'm waiting for.
Charles Stover:Yes. And you know, I love doing it. The, the problem is, like I said, you have that weird kind of barrier in the fall. And then summer is, I don't know. I mean, if I don't die, I'll do nights, but it's a little hot
Raylene Lewis:in that, in that box. Is that what you're saying?
Charles Stover:It's, it's crazy. I, you know, people are like, oh my God, you're hot. It's a hundred degrees out. I'm like, yeah, bro. If it's a hundred out, it's 140 in that box, you can get burger and watch old guy die. I mean, you get a show, you get, you get a burger in his show. That's the goal. I hope one day I will die and somebody can see it just because I'm like, you know, I've paid my. Somebody gets up to have a really good story outta this
Raylene Lewis:Well, let's, ok, let's move on to, you know, really life stories. So what makes your burgers so good? Because they're absolutely amazing and what would do you want people to know that you're known for?
Charles Stover:So I learned how to do this when I was in college. Pretty funny story. I was going to Stephen F. Austin, kind of, I mean, I say. I was registered to go to Stephen F. Austin, and so I was going back and forth to some of the clubs. How about that? Yeah, and between Lufkin and Nacodoches, there was a little place called Lost 50. We would go in there all the time and hang out with the owners late night. They were super cool guys. We'd played poker with them. I mean, it was just a heck of a time and I was in college. It was great. So one night they had a bus of people come, a busload of people coming in and the owner comes out and said, Hey, we just got a call, we got a bunch of people come in, can any your little idiots cook? And I said, well, I can cook. And so I went back there with him and I cooked and I ended up staying there for the summer. Like just certain nights I would go in cuz you couldn't find people to work at midnight. There we go. So what makes the burgers good are these really old, old recipes where I do fresh meat every day. We press it out so it's thin. It's kinda like a smash burger, except I think when you do smash burgers, it mashes all the juice out. Mm-hmm. And so similar to that, and then the spices we make in house we've been known to make the mayonnaise in house. If I could make my own bread in house, I would.
Raylene Lewis:Yeah, but your buns are good. I mean, I know that those, that bread is, I mean, oh, I just said your buns were good. Oh my goodness.
Charles Stover:No, They are thank you. Where's, where's, where's the, where's the woman hat lady? I bet she would agree.
Raylene Lewis:So where do you get where do you get the bread from because I think you, you need good quality bread to make a good burger.
Charles Stover:Well, right now I'm getting it outta Houston. I was buying it from Zeit Man's locally, and he had kind of a mishap of one of his machines, and he's doing massive. He's, he's doing so well there. I'm like, Hey man, seriously, not a big deal. So I get him outta Houston. I don't tell people where I get'em. So it's so you're don't, the best funds are located in Houston. I'm saying the best buns, I typically carry'em with me and they, I go to Houston and I won't tell people where I have, get the Buns because then they'll go copy me. I'm tired of being copied dadgum it
Raylene Lewis:understand. What is the number one thing that people order with you? If someone's coming and they're gonna try Charlie Mac's Burger Kitchen for the first time? I mean, what's the go-to to.
Charles Stover:I mean, honestly, the Bacon double's been written up in Texas monthly a couple of times under my other names, so it, yeah, so I've had a couple of restaurants in the past and when I had those restaurants, I tr the, the bacon double got written up. And so I tell everybody, the bacon doubles where I would start because it's probably my oldest most successful burger. But I created another burger called the Big Ed's Cream Cheese that is pretty delicious. It's cream cheese, bacon I do a Chipotle raspberry mayo, and it's just a sweet, sour kind of crazy combination. And then I have a, a burger called a cheesegasm. That is ridiculous. I mean,
Raylene Lewis:that's my favorite.
Charles Stover:Yeah, I mean, it's blue cheese and I, I kind of mix it up. Sometimes I do English cheddar sometimes I do gre. I do dubliner at times. I do a little bit of Tillamook, their, their age cheddar, and so it's all that. And then I use QPI Mayo and this really cool little jalapeno pepper. That's sweet. I dunno. And then I do specialty burgers, like I do truffle burgers. Occasionally I've got another truffle burger coming out. Cause people love the last one so much. I don't know. I mean, it's just, they're, they're specialty. They're, they're made individually and it just depends on what kind of what you're in the mood for. Really made to order. Oh my God, yes. Yes. I'm a nut about all that. I mean, it's hilarious.
Raylene Lewis:Yeah. You just know good quality food and you know how to produce it for the people of College Station and for that we're super appreciative, except for when we, you know, go to the scale.
Charles Stover:Absolutely. Well, and here's the thing, I, I understand that, you know we'll do any kind of modification people ask for, like, we'll take the buns off. We take the sauce off. The patties, I feel like are high quality meat. So I think that you know, it, it's a little bit, and, and let me, let me make a point here and just, I'm gonna give, gimme a little room people. Absolutely crush Chick-fil-A and act like that fried chicken is healthy for'em, but then turn around and go, oh my gosh, a burger is bad for you. So I think it's time to start looking at, you know, the way that we consume. Meat. You know, I mean, to me the, the beef that I do is, it's an 80 20, it's a very high quality meat. A lot of the, you know, a lot of the fat does fry out to begin with, but I think it's actually pretty healthy now. Eating red meat is not good for you. But I, I also don't say, Hey, Raylene, why don't you and Heather come here every day? I wouldn't recommend that, but I also. I, I also giggle at people who go to Chick-fil-A three or four days a week and then go and, and eat a burger once a month and go, oh my God, I'm helping myself out. No, you're not. I mean, it's, it's, people have been fooled into thinking that, and you know, right now the, the heavy trend in our, well in our industry is fried chicken, hot chicken. Mm-hmm. you, you go pick up a piece of hot chicken and understand how much grease is in that, and then come to the burger and. You know, look at the same. And to me, I think that it's kind of a, it's a matter of priority, but it's also a matter of just moderation. And that's, that's how I, I'm living these days, is trying a little bit of moderation.
Raylene Lewis:I think moderation is, is great for everyone. And you know, I, I do like my fried chicken, but to me nothing beats a Stover burger. They're the best ah, top of the top.
Charles Stover:Well, thank you. You're the best.
Raylene Lewis:What is your favorite thing about Bryan College Station? The Bryan College Station community? I mean, I know this sounds funny, but.
Charles Stover:Well, y'all, people like you, I mean we, there's a real sense of community here and I think that when you go to bigger towns, sometimes you lose that. I like the fact that I can, I mean, I can know my city council people. I know my mayors, I know my student c I mean my School board members. I, I think that we're an actual community here. And even though Bryan and College Station especially the people who've grown up here, dear Lord, even though they think that they're separate towns, they're the same. I, I hope all of Oh true. Hear that in cringe. I hope they all hear that in cringe because people from the outside don't understand it and we're stronger together. And, you know, I, I think that the sense of community here is incredible. I'm, I'm, I'm pretty lucky to.
Raylene Lewis:I totally agree, man. When I graduated from Texas a and m and we moved away, it wasn't a couple years that my husband and I were, you know, thinking about starting a family and everything, and it was, well, where do we wanna, you know, put down roots, where do we wanna begin? And we both came back to Bryan College Station, Texas, because the community is so nice.
Charles Stover:Raylene for y'all listening was my realtor when I first moved into town, and she has helped me so many times over the years and just given me knowledge. I actually worked for a couple of home builders for a period and she really helped me out. But I can tell you that when I met Raylene, she was unbelievably helpful. Great at what she did, and we've kept up over the years. And so anybody listening, I mean, I'm not just a person. You know, she eats food with and all that fun stuff. I'm a person who really believes in her product. Raylene is a, an absolute badass and you can cut that if you need, but you're Well,
Raylene Lewis:thank you. No, I dunno. Maybe I'll keep in a little bit. The the last thing I wanna say, just in general about plugging each other is I think that you, and also about the community, I feel like it all ties together. You are so fun on Facebook. So, you know, whether we're looking at the most recent. Meals and deals that are on Facebook or just seeing what's going on. It's really fun to have our business owners, you know, come in and show their personality and put their input and make us all laugh. And you're, you're just a great part of that, keeping the community together. I have one other question, Charles. If people don't know whether you're open or not, or what's going on and they wanna know what the latest burger is, how do they find out? How do we get in touch with.
Charles Stover:Well, there's two things, and I do want to add this. If we can make, I'm trying to keep old-fashioned service, people can text me. It's odd. I get texted all times a night. It's pretty funny. But people can text me and ask me if we're open and, and I'll answer. I mean, it, it's, it's, it's rare that I don't answer. I. Typically send things back. If, if anybody pays me through Venmo, I'll thank them, but I'll also keep their number around and kind of update the hours occasionally that way. My, I only have Facebook right now because what was happening is I was having to update Facebook and the website and Yelp. It just got kind of crazy to keep too much updating. My hours. Yeah. I mean it just, cause what'll happen is somebody gets, you know, somebody's like, oh my gosh, it's Monday. And I'm like, well, I've been on, I don't really open on Mondays typically. Except last semester I did for a while. You know? Well then somebody sees it, and I don't understand how the web works. Maybe you do, but sometimes that picture will get. It'll stay in perpetuity. Is that the word? I dunno. It'll perpetuate in perpetuity.
Raylene Lewis:It'll just keep going on and it'll be the wrong information.
Charles Stover:Charlie Mac's Burgers on Facebook is probably the best place to find me or text me at 9 7 9 4 0 2 4 4 3 9. I mean, I am text friendly and that's how people order the food there too. I, I can't tell you how many, I mean, I get business off the text constantly. It's crazy.
Raylene Lewis:I thought I was special. I thought I was the only one that did that. And I was kind of like,
Charles Stover:well, you've got my own. No, no, no. You've got the real number. Everybody else has got my fake number.
Raylene Lewis:Ok, so that's, so that's the, that's the Charlie number,
Charles Stover:right? Right, right, right. That's it there, there's the bat line, which is yours, and then everybody else gets the other number. Hey, Heather. Heather can have it too. There you go.
Raylene Lewis:Yeah. Okay. All right. Well, thank you so much for joining us and we cannot wait to stop by and grab a burger and some fries and you know, sit down and visit with our good friend. Absolutely take care of y'all. Well, that's all the time we have for today. Thanks for joining us on Aggieland Unlocked, and if you'd liked what you heard, please go online and rate this podcast. Take care y'all.