SUDDEN SHUTTERS
Jim’s Restaurant closes another diner on San Antonio’s Northwest Side
Jim's is closing yet another of its restaurants.
Call it another symptom of long COVID. After weathering the pandemic, San Antonio-based Jim’s Restaurant has been slowly shedding locations, shuttering three of its diners, including an iconic flagship on Broadway. Now, the local chain is abruptly closing another restaurant at 11803 Bandera Rd. on August 19.
“With a heavy heart and sincere gratitude, we announce the closing of our Bandera and 1604 location,” Jim’s wrote in a late August 7 statement. “After 27 incredible years of serving this community, we have made the difficult decision to close our doors due to accessibility challenges brought on by changes to the intersection’s road design.”
Pandemic shutdowns were a gut punch to the once-thriving chain. Although initially offered furloughs, Jim’s employees were unceremoniously fired via postcards in April 2020 when it became clear that the COVID-19 spread was not just a momentary blip. In the years since, the diners have had trouble with staffing, decreasing opening hours at some locations due to an employee shortage.
In April 2021, Jim’s opted to renew its lease at Loop 410 and Blanco. Three years later, it hung up the aprons on its flagship Broadway restaurant and a second outpost at San Pedro and Hildrebrand Avenues. During those years, the heirs of founder Germano “Jim” Hasslocher were involved in a squabble over the family fortune.
Jim’s suffered another setback in February, when a judge ordered the company to pay $4 million in damages after a shattered window injured a Schertz couple dining at 8427 Broadway.
Known for its Frontier Burger and Googie-style upswept roofs, Jim’s has been a San Antonio institution since 1963. Although each of the closures was greeted by a wistful social media chorus, the company has seemingly been unable to take advantage of the nostalgia wave that has revived other familiar brands like Chili’s. Meanwhile, a new wave of concepts, like locals Box Street Social and national chain Snooze AM, are resuscitating the diner format with trendy design and booze.
After the August 19 closing, Jim’s will operate 10 restaurants in the San Antonio area. The chain also has three Austin locations. But despite the chain's tagline, there's no longer any guarantee that "there's always Jim's."
Though we will no longer be serving you at this location, we remain committed to providing the same warmth and exceptional service at one of our 10 other San Antonio Jim’s locations,” wrote a Jim’s rep via Facebook. “We invite you to visit one of our nearby restaurants, where our dedicated team members will continue to deliver the outstanding experience you’ve come to expect. You might even see a familiar face from our Bandera team.”
Bánh mì is the centerpiece of the menu.Photo by Katie James.