Harvey Washbangers is the only place in the Brazos Valley where people can grab a bite to eat and enjoy a cold Texas beer while doing their laundry. Described as a laundro-pub, which is a mixture of a laundromat and a pub, Harvey Washbangers has been putting a unique twist on the mundane chore since 1998.
With such a unique concept, manager Alex Garza says there are not many like it around the whole nation.
“Places like this are very few and far between,” Alex says. “There is no other place as fun as this where you can go and do your laundry — this place even has husbands excited to do the laundry because they can come here for a beer and watch the game.”
The laundromat portion of Harvey Washbangers offers customers options when it comes to doing the not so fun chore. People can either choose to do their own laundry and bring their own detergent or they can drop off their laundry and the staff at Harvey Washbangers will handle the process from start to finish.
“If you drop it off, we have a 24-hour turnaround time,” Alex says. “The girls back there, we refer to them as laundry ninjas because they’re fast, friendly and great at what they do. They fold it, put it in a bag and notify you when to come pick it up.”
At a traditional laundromat, those who choose the self-serve option constantly have to check on their laundry, but not at Harvey Washbangers. The restaurant offers a fun option for those who wish to spend their waiting time in the restaurant portion — the light board offers an easy way to see the status of laundry. Each washer and dryer has a unique button assigned that will light up if the machine is still in use and when the light goes out, customers know it’s time to switch over the load.
On the restaurant side of Havery Washbangers, people can enjoy a variety of one-of-a-kind burgers, like the fan favorite Banger Burger, or scrumptious hot dogs while waiting on their laundry.
“We probably sell the Banger Burger two or three times more than any of the other burgers we have on the menu,” Alex says. “We also have other unique burgers like the chorizo burger and the jalapeño cream cheese burger.”
In addition to their regular menu, the restaurant offers a burger of the month and they will soon after begin to offer a unique hot dog of the month to bring in some new flavors and a temporary blast to the past with older off-menu favorites.
“We try to be as creative as possible,” Alex says. “We want to create something good, something people will remember, something out of the ordinary and sometimes we bring back things we have done in the past if people really liked it.”
Items are carefully thought out and tested before making their appearance on the menu or monthly specials, which Alex says Chef Michael Lair takes much pride in.
“Nothing we have here is out of a box, everything we serve is fresh and high quality," Alex says. “The way that the flavors and textures hit your tongue is golden. There's a reason we put things together and that reason is we have a specific flavor experience that we are going for. We want you to remember that flavor experience.”
To go with their variety of unique burgers and hot dogs, Harvey Washbangers serves locally-sourced Texas craft beers. To add to the enjoyment, on the menu there are even beer pairing recommendations for those who are looking for something to add that perfect flavor to their meal.
“There are a lot of great micro-breweries in Texas,” Alex says. “Our rule of thumb is that we like to seek our resources from local places in Texas.”
For those who aren’t quite sure of what they’d like for a drink, the restaurant also offers beer flights, which allow customers to choose four different five ounce flavors to enjoy.
“If you want to taste something new without buying a full sized beer, this is a good way to go,” Alex says. “We also offer samples for those who might want to try something before getting a whole glass.”
Whether they are enjoying beer or food out of the kitchen or hanging out in the laundromat, Alex says the staff wants to ensure that guests have the best experience.
“Our staff develops relationships with customers,” Alex says. “They know the customers by name. They take the time to remember orders and what days and times
regular customers come in. There are a lot of places that serve great food, but we try to set ourselves apart with our customer service.”
For those who have yet to experience this Texas Bucket List place, Alex encourages them to stop by and take it all in — and enjoy some great food in the process.
“Until you walk in the door and see it and lay your eyes on it, you really can’t appreciate it,” Alex says. “It’s a comfortable place to come relax and enjoy what’s going on.”
Harvey Washbangers is located at 1802 Texas Avenue South in College Station. The laundromat portion is open every day from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. but the latest you can start a load of laundry is 9:30 p.m. The restaurant portion is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. For more information visit washbangers.com or call (979) 696-6756.
