Hidden Treasure

There is a hidden treasure in Bryan on Villa Maria known to some lucky folks as "Shipwreck Grill." This ship-shaped restaurant serves burgers, salads and seafood with a special sauce that owner Mary Beckman claims she could drink. She and her husband, Wade, both graduates from Texas A&M in 1990 have a love for the Bryan/College Station area and the restaurant business.

"The restaurant came about as both a way to get back to BCS as well as the opportunity to start my own concept," Wade said. "Although I have owned and operated restaurants for 25 years, I have never had the opportunity to do my own restaurant, ground up. What better place to do that than Aggieland."

Wade mentioned he could have tried to appeal to college students by calling his restaurant "Burgers and Beer," but that didn't fit the atmosphere the way he wanted it to.

"The concept and name were really inspired by the location," he said. "When you open a restaurant in a boat there is going to be expectations for good seafood. That said, we have actually worked very hard to create a menu and concept that is well rounded for everyone, not just seafood folks. Our burgers, fish tacos and salads are all signature items and some of the best in the BCS area. After a few menu modifications in our first few weeks, Mary and I feel like we have a really strong concept that is perfect for both students and locals and very reasonably priced."

The restaurant came about after Mary and Wade took three years off from the restaurant business to work in sales. Wade saw the boat, and the rest is history.

"He just had an epiphany one day on the way to College Station," Mary said. "He drove straight here, and called me and said, 'I want the boat,' and I was like 'what are you talking about?" and he said 'I want the boat, and I'm going to call it Shipwreck Grill.' So I said, 'OK, let's do it.'"

The biggest struggle the restaurant has is letting people know where they are.

"Business is going really well," Mary said. "Of course we'd love it to grow. I think that since this building has been empty for almost three years, it's kind of off everybody's radar, and if you don't pass this place everyday, you don't know that we're here."

Wade said designing and executing a menu that works in a limited space is also a bit of a struggle.

"We wanted to make sure it was well-rounded and not just seafood," he said. "I know when I was a student, seafood was not at the top of the list of food I would eat or could afford."

Students seem to think the owners are doing a fine job, and spoke of the good prices and delicious sauce.

"I loved it, usually I don't like sea food, but I really enjoyed the fish tacos there and I loved the atmosphere there," said Maggie Strange, freshman kinesiology major. "The sauce was great, I'd eat that on anything."

Tyler Welch, a senior biology major, agreed and said the only thing he didn't like about the sauce was that there wasn't enough.

"It's a very modern restaurant with moderate prices and a very friendly staff," he said. "The manager came and talked to us, so that was cool. The food is good. My friend and I really liked everything they recommended."

The restaurant is more than just a business to the Beckman family though.

"It is really a family affair for us," Wade said. "Mary and I have worked together in restaurants we have owned and operated for years. This restaurant is even more special in that both our sons work at the restaurant as well. We would not have taken on this venture without their support and help."