Two years after expanding to the Alon Market shopping center, Jewish-inspired San Antonio diner The Hayden has abruptly shuttered its second location, at 10003 NW Military Hwy. #2115. The original outpost at 4025 Broadway will remain open.
The restaurant took to social media to announce the surprise move. The statement characterized the closure as a "pause," although there appear to be no plans to reopen the fledgling location.
"After many sleepless nights, we've made the extremely tough decision to pause our Alon location immediately while we figure out what's next for that beautiful space," the restaurant wrote. "We wish we could've announced this sooner and thrown a proper farewell tour, but sometimes as Kenny [Rogers] says: you've got to know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em (and when to walk away)."
Owner Adam Lampinstein opened The Hayden in summer 2020, serving reimagined Jewish dishes like matzo ball soup and fried chicken with latke waffles. The concept was an immediate hit, with Texas Monthly's now-retired food writer Pat Sharpe listing the restaurant's pastrami and Swiss sandwich as one of her favorite dishes of that year.
After its profile was further raised by a 2022 appearance on the Cooking Channel's "Food Paradise," The Hayden branched out to a second location in the Alon Market development in June 2023.
The Hayden opened its second location in 2023.The Hayden/ Facebook
Although the Broadway restaurant remained one of San Antonio's most coveted brunch reservations, the Alon Market unit's honeymoon period quickly wore off. In February, Lampinstein sent a candid newsletter detailing an eight-month business slump. At the time, the business was not threatened with an immediate closure, but he warned he might have to "make some tough decisions about its future."
In the social media statement, the restaurant shared that the closure would not hinder operations at its Broadway flagship.
"[H]ey, we're doubling down on making The Hayden better than ever before. The team is working hard on extended hours, menu updates, catering packages, and more of that hospitable neighborhood diner vibe you've come to expect (and deserve) from us," said the post.
A request for further comment from Lampinstein was not at publication time. CultureMap will update this article should he return the call.
Learn how to make focaccia at The Newstand.The Newstand/ Facebook
Cool off with a poptail at Hotel Valencia.Photo courtesy of Hotel Valencia.