Baylor Pitches Recruits With Poster Saying In N Out, Whole Foods and Potbelly Are Coming To Waco Soon...(They Completely Made That Up)

WacoTrib – A poster at a Baylor University recruiting event over the weekend listing new restaurants and stores as “coming to Waco soon” caused some premature excitement on social media, as most of the named businesses haven’t announced plans to build in the area.

Baylor Associate Athletics Director Nick Joos cleared up the origin of the mysterious board, which was created by the athletics marketing department and contained some truths and some falsehoods.

“I think somebody just decided to throw speculation on a board and call it a poster,” Joos said.

The poster used the trademarked logos of restaurants like Pappadeaux, Pappasito’s, In-N-Out Burger as well as companies like Whole Foods and Omni Hotel and advertised them as coming to Waco.

The image circulated quickly online, causing a buzz on Twitter and Facebook. It even sparked more than 20 calls to Commercial Real Estate Agent Bland Cromwell with Coldwell Banker, who several years ago attempted to persuade Chris Pappas, co-founder of the Houston-based Pappas Restaurant Group, to bring a Pappadeaux or Pappasito’s to the area.

“I’ve not heard anything about them seriously looking here. People always want them here, but I’ve not heard that they’re looking,” Cromwell said. “I think all those (on the poster) were wishes.”

Pappas Restaurants group Spokeswoman Christina Pappas on Monday debunked the claims that the company would be building an eatery in Waco.

“We are not building any locations in Waco,” Pappas said in an email to the Tribune-Herald.

Joos said the intent of the poster was to illustrate the progressive business, dining and entertainment atmosphere in Waco to sell high school football prospects on signing with Baylor, Joos said.

“Everything Waco is important to Baylor, especially when you’re recruiting 18- to 22-year-olds,” Joos said. “There’s been a lot of drawings about the kind of town Waco could look like that’s been a part of the sales pitch in the past, and I think some of the potential of what people have as visions for the development of downtown as well, things others use when they’re trying to pitch businesses to come to Waco.”

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Such a baller recruiting tactic to just flat out lie.  How else are you gonna compete with the SEC?  Got to get a little creative, and if inventing restaurant openings is the move then that’s the move.  Seriously how many of these 18 year old punks who see this poster going viral on their Twitters and Instagrams do you think are going to sit down and call the local real estate offices and zoning boards to verify?  0.00000%  They’re gonna retweet it with a “fuck yeah Double-Doubles” and probably a crying face emoji and that will be that, you got em hooked.  Job well done.

I mean the obvious up front draw of a recruiting pitch is the girls, the girls, the weather and the girls.  But after that it’s pretty sneaky underrated how important the food options are, and being next door to In N Out, Whole Foods, Potbelly and a solid Italian spot means literally every single one of your meals for the next 1-4 years is set.  That’s big time.   Plus I’m not even really sure how unethical this is in the first place?  Like Joos said, the intent of the poster was just to show there are dining and entertainment atmosphere in Waco,  not “tell the truth” about exactly what they are per se.  Kind of like if I floated a picture around Tinder of an 11 inch dick –  I mean yeah, I made up 80% of that, but I do technically have one.

PS – A Double-Double and a Potbelly Wreck might just be my last meal if I ever find myself on death row.  Crack.