Anyone who has worked in the restaurant industry knows it takes tenacity and gumption. This week’s San Antonio dining news roundup has plenty of both. An iron-willed bar owner fights against a gloomy economic climate while an Austin transplant roars into the scene.
Openings
Hotly anticipated coffee shop El Tigre Coffee Roasters officially debuted on February 7. In January, the cafe announced plans to open its first River City location in St. Paul Square at 123 Heiman St. The concept is the first local project for the Austin-based Dreamers & Doers Hospitality group following founder Tatanka Guerrero’s relocation to San Antonio.
In August 2024, Atlanta-based Smalls Sliders announced an ambitious expansion plan in San Antonio. On February 12, the company filed Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation paperwork for a location at 2453 W. Loop 1604 S. The rapidly expanding chain is most known for its innovative business model, skipping traditional build-outs in favor of orange shipping container storefronts it calls “cans.” The restaurant plans to pop open its first local storefront in October.
Other news and notes
Two local dining spots are braving a chilly business climate in February. Via an earnest February 12 Facebook post, the team at Bud Jones Restaurant pleaded for community support, admitting that it is “struggling to keep the lights on.” The 65-year-old joint is the latest legacy eatery to report existential woes following 2024’s rash of closures.
The two locations of The Hayden are also experiencing turmoil. Owner Adam Lampinstein sent a candid newsletter on February 7 detailing the slowdown over the past eight months. Although the Broadway location remains relatively busy, its newer Alon Market sibling, which opened in January 2023, has experienced a sales slump. Although it's not in any immediate danger of closing, Lampinstein shared he might have to “make some tough decisions about its future.”
Lucy Cooper’s Ice House co-owner Braunda Smith, who has recently expressed her own business anxieties, is applying some moxie to the challenge. The bar owner is hosting the first Hope for Hospitality Food and Beverage Conference at 16080 San Pedro Ave. at 7 pm on February 24. “This will be a good time for all of us to lift each other up, share what we are all doing to try to survive in this very difficult time,” wrote Smith in a social media post.
One of the distilling world’s most inspiring personalities, Uncle Nearest founder Fawn Weaver, is stopping by Stable Hall on February 20 to promote her new release, Love & Whiskey. The biography recounts the story of the whiskey brand’s namesake, Nearest Green, who was the mentor to Jack Daniels. Green’s descendant and master blender, Victoria Eady Butler, will also be in attendance, and bites will be provided by local favorite Nicola Blaque. Doors open at 6 pm.