San Antonio visitors pay 37 percent on average in Airbnb surcharges, Forbes finds

FEES ARE MY ENEMIES

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We’ve all been there: You find that perfect Airbnb with the right price for your travel dates, only to be deterred at the checkout page when you witness the total skyrocket to an incomprehensible amount after the cleaning and “service” fees. Oh, and you’ll still have a laminated list of chores to complete before you leave, otherwise the hosts will charge you extra after your stay.

The latest findings from Forbes Advisor discovered San Antonio travelers pay an average surcharge of 37 percent for an Airbnb in the city, which is only slightly one percentage point higher than the nationwide average of 36 percent. Forbes’ expert analysts looked at 32,000 listings across 100 of the most popular markets on Airbnb to find common trends.

The average Airbnb stay in San Antonio is $182 a night with a 15 percent cleaning fee, a 15 percent service fee, and an average 7 percent tax rate. Though that seems high, the Alamo City is only No. 47 on Forbes’ list.

Unfortunately for Houston visitors looking for a vacation, Airbnb’s fees are not financially friendly, either. Houston ranked as the Texas city with the highest fees, and No. 8 overall with their average surcharge at 45 percent. Their nightly rate is higher than San Antonio's at $193, they similarly pay 15 percent in both cleaning and service fees, but they also pay another 15 percent in taxes. That’s a good dent in your wallet.

The Texas city with the lowest fees is Fort Worth, appearing much lower than San Antonio at No. 77 on the list. The average Airbnb costs $225 a night, with 12 percent in cleaning fees, 15 percent in service fees, and 5 percent in taxes.

Here’s a look at every Texas city that appeared in the top 100:

No. 8 – Houston: 45 percent total fees
No. 33 – Galveston: 39 percent total fees
No. 47 – San Antonio: 37 percent total fees
No. 67 – Dallas: 34 percent total fees
No. 69 – South Padre Island: 34 percent total fees
No. 71 – Austin: 33 percent total fees
No. 77 – Fort Worth: 33 percent total fees

Atlanta is the U.S. city with the highest percentage in fees for the average Airbnb stay, totaling an unfathomable 48 percent. Surprisingly, an Airbnb stay in New York City will only come with 23 percent in total fees, making it the lowest percentage out of all the top 100 cities.

In the report, Publicist Tracy Lamourie criticized Airbnb hosts and property managers for charging excessive fees, calling it "disingenuous."

“I’m old enough to remember when Airbnb was a more wallet-friendly alternative to hotels. That’s only rarely true these days,” she said.

Meanwhile, Dustin Abney, the CEO of vacation-rental management company Portoro, defended Airbnb and praised the company's transparency around its listings with the fee breakdown. He explained "most guests" are charged fees without knowing where that money truly goes.

“Most guests also assume that property managers or hosts are trying to price-gouge them, when this usually is not the case,” Abney said. “In reality, there are many hidden costs that go into running a short-term rental, and these costs fall on property managers to pay.”

The full report and its methodology can be found on forbes.com.

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San Antonio's H-E-B family tops Forbes list of richest billionaires

BILLIONAIRE ROLL CALL

According to Forbes, half of all of the world’s billionaires are less wealthy than they were in 2022. That might be true for San Antonio's richest billionaire Charles Butt, but that’s not the case for most other San Antonio-area billionaires.

The 2023 edition of Forbes’ World’s Billionaires List declared Butt's net worth at $7.5 billion, placing him as the 299th richest person in the world. The HE-B Chairman's current fortune is much lower than his 2015 net worth of $12.3 billion, which is when he last appeared on Forbes radar.

Three other Butt family members are first-time entrants on Forbes list. Eleanor Butt Crook, the 90-year-old heiress to the H-E-B grocery fortune, has a net worth of $2.8 billion, making her No. 1067 on the list. Forbes lists her residence in San Marcos, right in between San Antonio and Austin. H-E-B CEO Howard Butt III and Central Market leader Stephen Butt also made the list, both tied for No. 1575 with the same net worth of $1.9 billion.

Other San Antonio-area billionaires that made Forbes 2023 world’s richest list are:

Investor Christopher Goldsbury: tied for No. 1627, $1.8 billion, unchanged from last year
Healthcare founder James Leininger: tied for No. 1725, $1.7 billion, unchanged from last year

One name missing from Forbes 2023 report is former San Antonio Spurs owner Billy Joe "Red" McCombs, who passed away in February. McCombs founded Clear Channel Communications and was the namesake of the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. He is survived by his three daughters, as well as eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Elsewhere in Texas, Austin's richest billionaire Elon Musk has a net worth at $180 billion, which is $39 billion less than his 2022 net worth of $219 billion. The Tesla and SpaceX founder is the richest person in Texas and second richest person in the world, wedging his way between No. 1 Bernard Arnault of France (overseer of the LVMH empire of 75 fashion and cosmetics brands, including Louis Vuitton and Sephora), with a net worth of $211 billion; and No. 3 Jeff Bezos, the American Amazon founder, worth $114 billion.

Oil tycoon Jeffery Hildebrand tops the wealth leaderboard in Houston as the city's richest person with a $10.2 billion net worth. His 2023 rank in Forbes' report is No. 171.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones'$13.3 billion net worth won him the title of Dallas' richest person, and the 12th richest sports owner on Forbes' "World's Richest Sports Owners 2023." His net worth is up from $10.6 billion last year.

The Fort Worth-based Walmart family heiress Alice Walton earned a spot on Forbes’ list as the third richest woman in the world. Her fortune is pegged at $56.7 billion, down slightly from $65.3 billion last year.

Photo courtesy of H-E-B

2 San Antonio companies clock in among top employers in Texas, says Forbes

Climbing the corporate ladder

It doesn’t take too much number crunching to figure out that San Antonio is home to two of the Lone Star State’s most admired employers. And now, they are both getting a pat on the back for a job well done.

According to Forbes magazine, which just released its lists of the country’s best large employers and best startup employers, San Antonio boasts two of the best in the U.S.

New rankings from Forbes put San Antonio-based H-E-B at No. 38 on its list of the best large employers in the U.S. Additionally, San Antonio banking and insurance giant USAA cashes in with a No. 135 ranking on the best large employers list.

USAA employs some 36,000 workers and has routinely earned a spot on Forbes’ variety of employer-focused best of lists. Likewise, H-E-B, most Texans’ top choice of grocer, also regularly makes the cut on Forbes’ best of employer lists, and employs about 100,000 workers.

Though plenty of startups in Texas made the Forbes list of the best startup employers in the country, no San Antonio companies did.

Other Texas employers ranked among the best large employers in the U.S. are:

No. 9 — University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
No. 10 — MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
No. 16 — Bestow, Dallas
No. 37 — Houston Methodist, Houston
No. 49 — RealPage, Richardson
No. 56 — Southwest Airlines, Dallas
No. 140 — Keller Williams Realty, Austin
No. 143 — Dell Technologies, Round Rock
No. 214 — Texas Tech University, Lubbock
No. 245 — Waste Management, Houston
No. 253 — Toyota North America, Plano
No. 279 — University of Texas at Austin
No. 314 — Sysco, Houston
No. 318 — Daikin Industries, Waller
No. 324 — Whole Foods Market, Austin
No. 361 — Shell Oil, Houston
No. 370 — Cinemark, Plano
No. 375 — Jacobs, Dallas
No. 389 — Halliburton, Houston
No. 394 — Topgolf, Dallas
No. 399 — Primoris Services, Dallas
No. 403 — Schlumberger, Houston
No. 422 — Fluor, Irving
No. 423 — CBRE, Dallas
No. 429 — McKesson, Irving
No. 440 — ExxonMobil, Houston
No. 446 — American Airlines, Fort Worth
No. 483 — Keurig Dr Pepper, Plano
No. 487 — BP, Houston (North American headquarters)

What follows are the Texas employers ranked among the best startup employers in the country.

Austin

No. 104 — Apty
No. 121 — Homeward
No. 169 — SparkCognition
No. 186 — Outdoor Voices
No. 255 — Outdoorsy
No. 323 — ICON
No. 324 — The Zebra
No. 330 — TrustRadius
No. 335 — Innovetive Petcare (Cedar Park)
No. 387 — AlertMedia
No. 400 — Iris Telehealth
No. 410 — Wheel
No. 455 — Billd
No. 460 — Aceable
No. 470 — Shipwell

Dallas

No. 16 — Bestow
No. 290 — Slync.io

Houston

No. 120 — Imbuit
No. 310 — Code Ninjas (Pearland)
No. 353 — Axiom Space
No. 462 — Liongard

Forbes teamed up with data and research company Statista to develop the rankings of the best large employers and best startup employers.

Photo courtesy of H-E-B

H-E-B bags a top spot on Forbes’ list of America’s largest private companies

Here, everything’s bigger

San Antonio-based H-E-B holds a special place in the hearts of Texas grocery shoppers. It also holds a special place among the country’s privately owned companies.

H-E-B ranks fifth on Forbes’ new list of the country’s largest privately owned companies based on annual revenue. According to Forbes, the grocery chain’s annual revenue is $32.8 billion, making it the largest private company in Texas. On its website, H-E-B reports annual sales of $32 billion.

Meanwhile, trade publication Progressive Grocerlists H-E-B’s 2020 revenue at $36.8 billion, which puts it in 13th place among North America’s largest grocery retailers. And trade publication Supermarket Newspegs H-E-B’s 2020-21 revenue at nearly $31.8 billion, which gives it the No. 15 ranking among the biggest food and grocery retailers in the U.S. and Canada.

H-E-B’s financial success can be tied in large part to its popularity among Texas grocery shoppers.

This year, Amazon knocked H-E-B off its No. 1 perch as America’s best grocery retailer in a survey by market research company Dunnhumby. H-E-B fell to No. 2 this year. H-E-B had grabbed the top spot from Trader Joe’s in Dunnhumby’s 2020 survey.

Trade publication Grocery Divenoted that H-E-B’s No. 1 ranking in last year’s Dunnhumby survey reflected the chain’s “efforts to cultivate a strong customer base among Texans with customer service, local products, and unique experiences in each store.”

The only other San Antonio company on the Forbes list is construction engineering company Zachry Group. It ranks 225th, with annual revenue of $2 billion.

Nearly all of the other Texas companies in the Forbes ranking are based in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston areas. Thirteen DFW companies and five Houston companies show up on the list.

Dallas-Fort Worth

Grand Prairie-based alcohol and wine distributor Republic National Distributing, No. 25, $11.9 billion in annual revenue.
Dallas-based conglomerate Sammons Enterprises, No. 70, $5.8 billion in annual revenue.
McKinney-based roofing distributor SRS Distribution, No. 80, $5.4 billion in annual revenue.
Irving-based arts-and-crafts retailer Michaels, No. 81, $5.3 billion in annual revenue.
Dallas-based luxury retailer Neiman Marcus, No. 101, $4.7 billion in annual revenue.
Irving-based electrical systems and equipment maker Consolidated Electrical Distributors, No. 103, $4.6 billion in annual revenue.
Fort Worth-based food and beverage distributor Ben E. Keith, No. 107, $4.2 billion in annual revenue.
Dallas-based oil and gas explorer Hunt Consolidated, No. 113, $4 billion in annual revenue.
Frisco-based transportation and logistics software provider Transplace, No. 127, $3.6 billion in annual revenue.
Addison-based cosmetics retailer Mary Kay, No. 164, $2.8 billion in annual revenue.
Plano-based senior healthcare provider Golden Living, No. 178, $2.6 billion in annual revenue.
Dallas-based general contractor Austin Industries, No. 217, $2.1 billion in annual revenue.
Dallas-based transportation and logistics company Mode Transportation, No. 220, $2.1 billion in annual revenue.

Houston

Car dealership group Gulf States Toyota, No. 45, $8.3 billion in annual revenue.
Energy company Calpine, No. 48, $8 billion in annual revenue.
Petroleum and petrochemical products marketer Tauber Oil, No. 61, $6.7 billion in annual revenue.
Casino, restaurant, and sports conglomerate Fertitta Entertainment, No. 166, $2.8 billion in annual revenue.
BMC Software, No. 219, $2.1 billion in annual revenue.

One other company on the Forbes list, New Jersey-based IT company SHI International Corp., has a strong connection to Texas. Austin billionaire Thai Lee, with a net worth estimated at $4.1 billion, is co-founder, president, and CEO of SHI. The company ranks 28th on the Forbes list, with annual revenue of $11.1 billion.

Elon Musk/Wikipedia

Dozens of Texas billionaires cash in on Forbes list of richest Americans

Lone Star loaded

The latest Forbes 400 list, which ranks the richest Americans, shows that the Lone Star State may be the real breadwinner, with dozens of Texans noted as some of the wealthiest people in the country.

Though no San Antonians made the cut for the list, Texas does boast the second-richest American, according to Forbes: Tesla and SpaceX guru Elon Musk, who also lands at No. 1 among the richest Texans. No shocker there.

What is shocking, however, is how much Musk’s net worth skyrocketed from 2020 to 2021. Hint: It’s more than $100 billion.

This year, the Forbes 400 estimates his net worth stood at $190.5 billion as of September 3. Last year, Musk’s estimated net worth was $68 billion. This means that from 2020 to 2021, his net worth exploded by $122.5 billion, or 180 percent.

Among the richest Americans, only Amazon’s Jeff Bezos beats Musk — but not by much. The Forbes 400 pegs Bezos’ net worth at $201 billion as of September 3, up from $179 billion at the same time last year.

Forbes lists Musk’s residence as Austin, although he has said he spends much of his time in Boca Chica. The Texas Gulf Coast community hosts Starbase, a launch site for SpaceX rockets. Regardless of precisely where he lives, Musk does spend a lot of time in the Austin area, where Tesla is building a $1.1 billion vehicle manufacturing plant. Musk relocated to Texas last year.

Before Musk arrived in the Lone Star State, Walmart heir Alice Walton of Fort Worth ranked as the richest person in Texas. She’s now in second place, with a net worth estimated at $67.9 billion. Walton ranks as the 12th richest American and richest American woman on this year’s Forbes 400.

Aside from Musk, here’s how billionaires from major metros in Texas fared on the Forbes 400 list:

Austin

Michael Dell, founder, chairman, and CEO of Round Rock-based Dell Technologies has an estimated net worth of $50.1 billion. He was ranked No. 3. in Texas and No. 18 in the U.S.

Robert Smith, founder, chairman, and CEO of private equity firm Vista Equity Partners has an estimated net worth of $6.7 billion. He was ranked No. 9. in Texas and No. 141 in the U.S.

Vodka titan Bert “Tito” Beveridge. His estimated net worth is $4.8 billion, putting him at No. 18. in Texas and No. 224 (tie) in the country.

IT entrepreneur Thai Lee, who has an estimated net worth of $4.1 billion, with a Texas rank of No. 27 (tie) and a U.S. ranking at No. 273 (tie).

Software entrepreneur Joe Liemandt. His estimated net worth is $3 billion. He ranked No. 33 (tie) in Texas and No. 377 (tie) in the country.

Jim Bryer, founder and CEO of venture capital firm Bryer Capital. His estimated net worth is $2.9 billion, which ranks him at No. 35 (tie) in Texas and No. 389 (tie) in the U.S.

Dallas-Fort Worth

Banking and real estate mogul Andy Beal of Dallas holds the No. 5 spot in Texas and No. 78 nationally. His estimated net worth is $9.9 billion.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones of Dallas sits at No. 7 in Texas and No. 86 nationally with an estimated net worth of $9.1 billion.

Money manager Ken Fisher of Dallas ranks 10th in Texas and 151st nationally with an estimated net worth of $6.4 billion.

Oil and real estate titan Ray Lee Hunt of Dallas ranks 16th in Texas and ties for 188th nationally with an estimated net worth of $5.7 billion.

Oil and investment mogul Robert Bass of Fort Worth ranks 17th in Texas and ties for 212th nationally with an estimated net worth of $5 billion.

Private equity kingpin David Bonderman of Fort Worth ties for 21st in Texas and ties for 247th nationally with an estimated net worth of $4.5 billion.

Media magnate and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban of Dallas ties for 21st in Texas and ties for 247th nationally with an estimated net worth of $4.5 billion.

Oil and gas honcho Trevor Rees-Jones of Dallas ties for 21st in Texas and ties for 247th nationally with an estimated net worth of $4.5 billion.

Hotel and investment guru Robert Rowling of Dallas ranks 25th in Texas and ties for 261st nationally with an estimated net worth of $4.3 billion.

Margot Birmingham Perot of Dallas, widow of tech and real estate entrepreneur H. Ross Perot Sr., ties for 27th in Texas and ties for 273rd nationally with an estimated net worth of $4.1 billion.

Oil and gas tycoon Kelcy Warren of Dallas ranks 29th in Texas and ties for 289th nationally with an estimated net worth of $3.9 billion.

Real estate bigwig H. Ross Perot Jr. of Dallas ranks 32nd in Texas and 363rd nationally with an estimated net worth of $3.2 billion.

Homebuilder Donald Horton and family of Fort Worth tie for 35th in Texas and tie for 389th nationally with an estimated net worth of $2.9 billion.

Oil baron W. Herbert Hunt of Dallas ties for 35th in Texas and ties for 389th nationally with an estimated net worth of $2.9 billion.

Houston

Pipeline magnate Richard Kinder of Houston ranks eighth in Texas and 128th nationally with an estimated net worth of $7.1 billion.

Hospitality king and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta of Houston ranks 11th in Texas and 158th nationally with an estimated net worth of $6.3 billion.

Houston pipeline heirs Dannine Avara, Scott Duncan, Milane Frantz, and Randa Duncan Williams tie for 12th place in Texas and tie for 161st nationally. Each has an estimated net worth of $6.2 billion.

Software entrepreneur Robert Brockman of Houston ranks 19th in Texas and ties for 229th nationally with a net worth of $4.7 billion.

Oil mogul Jeffery Hildebrand of Houston ranks 20th in Texas and ties for 240th nationally with a net worth of $4.6 billion.

Toyota mega-dealer Dan Friedkin of Houston ranks 24th in Texas and ties for 253rd with an estimated net worth of $4.4 billion.

Houston Texans owner Janice McNair of Houston ranks 26th in Texas and ties for 269th nationally with an estimated net worth of $4.2 billion.

Hedge fund honcho John Arnold of Houston ties for 30th in Texas and ties for 358th nationally with an estimated net worth of $3.3 billion.

Forbes

San Antonio salsa baron spices up Forbes' new list of world billionaires

Pace yourself

It pays to be in the salsa biz. Or rather, it pays when you sell your $1 billion salsa biz to a major food company. That's what landed San Antonian Christopher “Kit” Goldsbury on Forbes' recent list of the world's billionaires, along with several other Alamo City capitalists.

On April 6, Forbes released its 2021 list of the world’s billionaires, which includes Goldsbury, who sold his Pace Foods to Campbell Soup for $1.12 billion in 1994 and later backed the revitalization of the Pearl through his Silver Ventures private equity firm. Forbes ranked Goldsbury as No. 1,833 on its billionaires list, estimating his net worth at $1.7 billion.

Other San Antonians making the list include James Leininger, aka Dr. Jim, founder of medical-device company Kinetic Concepts. He landed at No. 2,035 on the list, with an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion. Coming in at No. 2,035, with an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion was car dealership and telecommunications tycoon Red McCombs.

Eclectic entrepreneur (and supposed recent Austin transplant) Elon Musk holds the list's top billionaire in Texas spot, officially knocking Walmart heiress Alice Walton of Fort Worth off her longtime perch as the richest person in Texas. Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, landed at No. 2 globally with a net worth of $151 billion. He sat at No. 31 in last year’s ranking. Forbes lists Musk’s place of residence as Austin, although he hasn’t confirmed where in Texas he settled last year.

Now at No. 2 in Texas is Walton, whose net worth is $61.8 billion. That puts her at No. 17 on the global list. Walton is the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton; as of December 2020, the Walton family still reigned as the richest family in the U.S., with Alice Walton's wealth accounting for a little over one-fourth of the family fortune.

The only other Texan who comes close to Musk and Walton in the Forbes ranking is longtime Austin-area billionaire Michael Dell. The chairman and CEO of Round Rock-based Dell Technologies boasts a net worth of $45.1 billion. That places him at No. 30 on the global list and No. 3 in Texas.

In all, the Forbes list features 64 Texas billionaires collectively worth $460.1 billion. (What pandemic?) Among the state’s metro areas, Dallas-Fort Worth leads with 27 billionaires, followed by Houston (17), Austin (10), and San Antonio (three).

What follows is a breakdown of Texas billionaires in other cities, including their global ranking, source of wealth, and estimated net worth.

Austin:

Elon Musk, Tesla and SpaceX, No. 2, $151 billion
Michael Dell, technology, No. 30, $45.1 billion
Robert F. Smith, private equity, No. 451, $6 billion
Bert “Tito” Beveridge, vodka, No. 622, $4.6 billion
Thai Lee, information technology, No. 956, $3.2 billion
Joe Liemandt, software, No. 1,008, $3 billion
John Paul DeJoria, hair care and tequila, No. 1,174, $2.7 billion
Jim Breyer, venture capital, No. 1,249, $2.5 billion
David Booth, mutual funds, No. 1,750, $1.8 billion
Whitney Wolfe Herd, Bumble dating app, No. 2,263, $1.3 billion

Dallas:

Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys owner, No. 264, $8.9 billion
Andy Beal, banking and real estate, No. 311, $7.9 billion
Mark Cuban, online media and Dallas Mavericks owner, No. 655, $4.4 billion
Ray Lee Hunt, oil and real estate, No. 680, $4.2 billion
Margot Birmingham Perot, technology and real estate, No. 705, $4.1 billion
Trevor Rees-Jones, oil and gas, No. 727, $4 billion
Robert Rowling, Omni Hotels and Gold’s Gym, No. 752, $3.9 billion
Kelcy Warren, pipelines, No. 891, $3.4 billion
H. Ross Perot Jr., real estate, No. 1,174, $2.7 billion
Gerald Ford, banking, No. 1,249, $2.5 billion
Ray Davis, pipelines, No. 1,517, $2.1 billion
W. Herbert Hunt, oil, No. 1,580, $2 billion
Todd Wagner, online media, No. 1,664, $1.9 billion
Stephen Winn, real estate services, No. 1,664, $1.9 billion
Kenny Troutt, telecom, No. 2,035, $1.5 billion
Darwin Deason, software, No. 2,141, $1.4 billion
Timothy Headington, oil and gas/investments, No. 2,141, $1.4 billion
A. Jayson Adair, car salvage business, No. 2,674, $1 billion

Houston:

Richard Kinder, pipelines, No. 369, $7 billion
Dannine Avara, pipelines, No. 451, $6 billion
Robert Brockman, software, No. 451, $6 billion
Scott Duncan, pipelines, No. 451, $6 billion
Milane Frantz, pipelines, No. 451, $6 billion
Randa Duncan Williams, pipelines, No. 451, $6 billion
Tilman Fertitta, Houston Rockets owner/food/entertainment, No. 622, $4.6 billion
Dan Friedkin, Toyota dealerships, No. 705, $4.1 billion
Janice McNair, Houston Texans owner and energy, No. 705, $4.1 billion
John Arnold, hedge funds, No. 925, $3.3 billion
Jeffery Hildebrand, oil, No. 1,580, $2 billion
Leslie Alexander, former Houston Rockets owner, No. 1,750, $1.8 billion
Fayez Sarofim, money management, No. 2,035, $1.5 billion
Jim Crane, Houston Astros owner and logistics, No. 2,141, $1.4 billion
Wilbur “Ed” Bosarge Jr., high-speed trading, No. 2,674, $1 billion

Two billionaires in the Houston suburbs also show up on the list:

Leo Koguan of Sugar Land, information technology services, No. 1,444, $2.2 billion
George Bishop of The Woodlands, oil and gas, No. 1,517, $2.1 billion

Aside from Walton, Fort Worth billionaires on the list are:

Robert Bass, oil and investments, No. 550, $5.1 billion
David Bonderman, private equity, No. 705, $4.1 billion
Sid Bass, oil and investments, No. 1,064 $2.9 billion
Donald Horton, homebuilding, No. 1,299, $2.4 billion
Edward Bass, oil and investments, No. 1,444, $2.2 billion
Lee Bass, oil and investments, No. 1,664, $1.9 billion
John Goff, real estate, No. 2,263, $1.3 billion

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San Antonio plummets on list of best places to live, plus more top stories

Hot Headlines

Editor’s note: It’s that time again — time to check in with our top stories. From hotel accolades to urban treasure hunting, here are five articles that captured our collective attention over the past seven days.

1. San Antonio plummets on list of best places to live in new national report. San Antonio was previously the No. 75 place to live in America in 2021, tumbling to No. 83 in 2022 and dropping even further down the list to No. 103 in 2023.

2. Here are the top 7 things to do in San Antonio this holiday weekend. Check out Spoon or Kool and the Gang tonight, or head to UTSA for their annual Asian festival.

3. This is how big San Antonio apartments get for $1,500 a month. San Antonio renters can find apartments that span 1,010 square feet for $1,500 a month.

4. Posh Pearl hotel books top spot on best luxury hotels in U.S. list. Tripadvisor's coveted Travelers' Choice Best of Best Awards recently gave Hotel Emma top marks in two categories.

5. Texas unearths new ranking as 2nd best state for urban treasure hunting. Fun fact: Texas has the highest number of metal detecting sites in the nation.

Fine dining chef unpacks nostalgic pop-up concept at popular Grayson Street bar on Memorial Day

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

With new restaurants seemingly opening daily, San Antonio’s culinary scene is more exhilarating than ever. But even those with a packed reservation schedule sometimes crave something different.

Enter pop-ups — a San Antonio obsession that grows more popular each month. The latest to enter the fray is Restaurant Claudine chef Mel Cavazos, who will debut Throwback Sammies, a one-night-only concept sprouting up at Three Star Bar on May 29.

“I want to do something comforting that everyone can relate to,” explains Cavazos of the nostalgic concept. “I want the menu to read simply but totally unexpected when you eat it.”

The small menu includes a trio of dishes that evoke childhood memories. Cheese bread is reimagined with Romesco sauce, burrata, and basil, while another sandwich has all the fixings of a Sunday pot roast with potatoes, carrots, and gravy. Those desperately waiting for fall will no doubt flock to the Thanksgiving Meltdown, complete with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry.

One dish, however, is even more personal. In honor of a recently passed friend, Cavazos added a “secret” vegan sandwich featuring buffalo cauliflower and homemade pickled vegetables.

“He loved his vegan wings,” Cavazos remembers.

The chef tells CultureMap that Throwback Sammies is just the start of a series of pop-ups she hopes to hold monthly. As she continues developing a career at Carpenter Carpenter Hospitality’s ever-growing restaurant empire, she sees the pop-up series as a chance to keep exploring her culinary voice.

“I want to expand and explore more options,” Cavazos says, adding, “I love sandwiches, but that’s not what I like to be known for.”

Throwback Sammies starts at 8 pm and runs until supplies run out. Future pop-ups will be announced via Instagram.

Texas' best restaurants and bars reign at 2023 Tastemaker Awards

HATS OFF TO TEXAS

It’s another one for CultureMap’s history books, folks. Our statewide journey to recognize some of the best chefs, restaurants, and more in 2023 has finally come to a close.

The series kicked off April 13 with our sold-out Houston Tastemakers at Silver Street Studios, then we moved to Cowtown for our Fort Worth event on April 27. The Texas culinary tour steered us to our Metroplex neighbors in Dallas at the Fashion Industry Gallery on May 4. From there, we took a drive to the Hill Country for Austin’s evening festivities at Fair Market on May 11, then concluded our journey with our second-ever fête in San Antonio on May 18.

The 2023 Tastemaker Awards honor the state’s most innovative culinary pioneers, allowing nominated chefs and restaurants to showcase their talents for guests before announcing the winners during a live ceremony.

Guests sampled chefs’ specialty bites and imbibed a variety of creative cocktails or mocktails, with a few Topo Chicos sprinkled in throughout the evening. But as always, our nominees and winners are the main focus of our program and are the reason we can bring these celebrations to life.

Nominees are brought forth by a panel of previous Tastemaker winners and CultureMap editors. While the panel choses a majority of the winners, the winner of Best New Restaurant is determined by our readers in an online, bracket-style tournament. New this year in each city, a sizzling on-site Burger Throwdown sponsored by Goodstock Beef by Nolan Ryan.

Without further ado, let’s meet our 2023 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards winners, listed by city:

San Antonio: