Sober findings

San Antonio among America's booziest cities, sobering new study says

Group of people drinking beer at a bar cheers

San Antonio has one of the country's highest percentage of drinkers.

Caiaimage/Paul Bradbury/Getty Images

At this point, locals are pretty accustomed to seeing San Antonio nab top spots on various lists. Not only is it one of the best cities in the country for Hispanic entrepreneurs, it's home to one the best neighborhoods in all of Texas to live, boasts one of the best real estate markets for homebuyers, and is one of nation's best summer travel destinations.

But this new ranking is unlikely to make it to a convention and visitors bureau pamphlet. According to a June stud y released by alcohol abuse resource site Alcohol.org, Alamo City has the 22nd highest percentage of drinkers in the country.

The rankings, which compared census figures with data culled from public information trove City-Data, actually highlight cities with the highest percentage of non-drinkers. But San Antonio — and the rest of Texas — failed to crack the top 50 on the list of non-imbibers.

Instead, the state nabbed 12 out of the 50 cities with the lowest percent of non-drinkers, led by Laredo at No. 4, Austin at No. 5, and Plano at No. 10.

According to the study, only 10.3 percent of San Antonians choose not to imbibe, which means 89.7 percent do. It’s important to note, though, that the list does not reveal the volume of drinking in each city. All adults that drink alcohol — from problem drinkers to those who only crack open a bottle on special occasions — were included in the data set.

One reason why some cities are boozier than others may have something to do with geography. The Alcohol.org analysis noted that the cities with the most teetotalers tended to be clustered around beaches or large bodies of water (Honolulu has the most non-drinkers at 21.20 percent). Conversely, the majority of cities with the least non-drinkers were located on the arid Southwest. Arizona has the most slots on that top 10 list, with Gilbert coming in at No. 1.

Municipalities in the Lone Star State were scattered across the most drinking cities list.

Laredo, No. 4
Austin, No. 5
Plano, No. 10
Dallas, No. 14
Irving, No. 15
El Paso, No. 16
San Antonio, No. 22
Houston, No. 24
Fort Worth, No. 29
Corpus Christi, No. 31
Garland, No. 35
Lubbock, No. 37

Of the state’s 10 most populous cities, only Arlington was not named. Overall, Texas outdrank the nation with the most slots on the list.

lists drinks

Better Days, Same Burgers

Shuttered San Antonio burger joint stages surprising comeback

Teddy B's/Facebook

Teddy B's has made a surprise comeback.

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of Teddy B's life. In October, the popular burger joint shuttered its decade-old location on Babcock Road, grieving a loss of foot traffic and rising costs. On November 20, the spot revealed a plot twist. The owners are now slinging patties at 9903 Fredericksburg Rd.

"Dear Teddy B's customers, we have good news," the restaurant posted on social media. "We are back in business...We are waiting for our new sign, but we are up and running."

The unexpected comeback is the culmination of a tumultuous year for the business. As the restaurant marked its 10-year milestone this summer, the outlook was much darker. On August 4, the restaurant took to social media to warn that closure could be imminent. A traffic decline affected Teddy B's ability to maintain its affordable price point.

The messaging worked, at least in the short term. Days later, the restaurant reported an increase in business. The marketing language was hopeful until October 13, when the restaurant abruptly announced it was closing for good.

The news of Teddy B's rebirth came just as suddenly. After a month-long social media silence, the restaurant announced it had taken over the former home of Burger Haven. The latter restaurant was little known, appearing to operate mainly as a ghost kitchen.

Assumably, burgers will be back on the menu, but it is unclear whether other favorites will be eliminated to streamline the operation. The business has not posted any revisions, and its website is down at press time.

The burger joint's comeback manifests as other shuttered legacy restaurants like The Lion and Rose and Fratello's have staged their own returns. While Teddy B's has offered no reasoning for getting back into the game, it is a testament to the resiliency of San Antonio's culinary community.

burger joint burgers closings comeback openings teddy bs