It's the unofficial end of the summer, but things aren't slowing down at South Padre Island.

Monday caps off a busy summer break season for island business owners as Labor Day wraps up.

With summer coming to close, business owners are reflecting on what's been a busy few months.

At Yummie's Bistro, the crowds have been a constant since Memorial Day.

"So everybody comes out to make sure they get their last summer days in," Yummie's Bistro Owner Rose Del Rio said.

Del Rio says sales are up by 40 percent compared to last year's summer season. They had to hire extra staff to handle the workload.

"We usually have an hour to a two-hour wait on weekends, but, especially on Labor Day weekend, and sometimes we just have to close our time, so we can work with our waitlist," Del Rio said.

The South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau credits its summer events for bringing in crowds. They said tacos and tequila alone brought in more than 8,000 people.

"We had an amazing summer with lots of activity, concerts going on," Director of Marketing Cindy Trevino said.

At Yummie's Bistro, large crowds are expected through the end of the month. They're now preparing to welcome winter Texans.

"We do get a lot of first timers, but we've noticed after the COVID season, South Padre Island was rediscovered," Del Rio said.

The Convention and Visitors Bureau is projecting $12 million in hotel occupancy tax to end the fiscal year. It's a slight three percent increase year over year during the same time frame.

They hope to continue the trend in the new fiscal year.