Another San Antonio mom-and-pop is saying goodbye amidst a shifting dining landscape. In a social media post, The Curve Restaurant, located at 4379 SE Military Dr. on the South Side, said it will close in December after 51 years.

The restaurant, originally called The Curve Drive Inn, first opened in 1975. It was not the type of restaurant that needed a concept, mixing in classic Tex-Mex with a few American dishes like pancakes and BLTs. Half of the dishes were smothered in yellow cheese.

But the family behind it put care into the unfussy offerings. In a 2011 review, San Antonio Express-News critic Edmund Tijerina took note of the freshness of the tomatoes and lettuce and the “slightly thick and still nicely pliable” flour tortillas.

Though painted in a cheery tomato red and turquoise, the building itself didn’t demand much attention amongst its mostly residential neighbors. Indeed, when third-generation owner Misty Robles announced the closure on the San Antonio Restaurants Facebook group, many commenters had never heard of it. Others said their family had been dining there for generations.

Robles did not give a reason for the closure, nor specify an exact closing date. A request for more information was not immediately returned. But the business climate for independent restaurants has hardly improved since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A 2026 report from the Texas Restaurant Association found that 77 percent of owners have seen increases in the cost of goods, and fuel surcharges are becoming the norm. With less buying power than chains, family restaurants have to absorb the costs, a burden for eateries that rely on low prices.

Another recent study by market research firm RestaurantData found that Texas had the most restaurant closures in the nation by mid-2026. San Antonio ranked as the fourth-highest metro for restaurant failures across the U.S. and Canada.

The rash of San Antonio closures is rapidly changing the city’s dining scene. Chef-driven concepts like Rosso and Filleman House are defining the central core, while chains continue to proliferate on the North and Far West Sides. But on the South Side, beloved legacy restaurants like TJ’s Hamburgers and Oscar’s Taco House keep disappearing.