HARLINGEN — Two new business openings this week have invigorated San Benito business officials, who see the investments in a new Texas Regional Bank branch and a Tropical Smoothie Café as a vote of confidence in their city.
The Texas Regional Bank branch, located at 500 W. Business 77, had a soft opening Monday and is open for business.
Tropical Smoothie Café is located at 500 I-69 South and had its grand opening Monday. The café is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day of the week except Friday when it stays open until 11 p.m.
“They have a lot of specials going on … they were giving out free smoothies to the first 20 customers,” Dafne Maldonado, executive director of the San Benito Chamber of Commerce, said Wednesday.
The Texas Regional branch lobby and offices are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays. The branch is open Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to noon.
Drive-thru hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays.
“Texas Regional Bank had a soft opening on Monday and they’re brand new to San Benito, but the lobbies are open,” Maldonado said.
Texas Regional is one of the state’s fastest-growing banking institutions, with 13 locations in the Rio Grande Valley and another eight locations in the Hill Country to the north.
“It’s huge for San Benito,” Maldonado said. “We’re so happy that they just opened up a branch here, because I feel like they trust the City of San Benito and they definitely have confidence that we will keep growing and bringing in more business.
“It was a city effort, definitely, and we’re just so happy that they picked our city to open up a new branch,” she added. “Especially during these trying times, the fact that they put that vote of trust on us is huge.”
