San Antonio Chef Discusses Industry Struggles Amid Restaurant Closures

Multiple restaurants in San Antonio have announced closures this year, highlighting the challenges faced by the food industry. Local chef **Jason Dady**, who operates several establishments, closed **Jardín** at the San Antonio Botanical Garden over the summer. Dady emphasized that while many view restaurant closures negatively, they can sometimes present opportunities.

“A lot of people look at closing restaurants as a big negative,” Dady said. “Sometimes it can be a positive, or at least I think that’s our approach.” He pointed out that not every closure indicates failure. “I certainly had restaurants that closed because maybe they weren’t very good or it was a bad location,” Dady explained. “I’ve also had a lot of restaurants that I’ve closed just because we felt that it wasn’t smart for us to continue.”

Dady’s business, the **Jason Dady Restaurant Group**, includes five restaurants along with catering and event services in the San Antonio area. He noted that each closure stems from unique circumstances. For instance, **Good Time Charlie’s Bar and Cafe**, a local favorite for over 45 years, recently shut down after its land was sold to the **DoSeum** next door. The co-founder clarified that the sale did not influence their decision to close.

“I think it’s really unfair for people to point fingers and say, ‘Oh, you know, I went there and it was terrible, that’s why they’re out of business,’” Dady stated. “You have no idea why or how they went out of business.”

The **Texas Restaurant Association** has confirmed that the industry is currently facing significant challenges. Spokesperson **Kelsey Erickson Streufert** stated, “Texas families are seeing a lot of financial pressure, so they have fewer dollars to spend dining out.”

Several restaurants in San Antonio, including **Bandit BBQ**, **Carriqui** at the Pearl, **Cascabel Mexican Patio**, and **Dry Dock Oyster Bar**, have also closed their doors this year. “We just came out of what I believe to be the slowest summer I’ve seen in probably 20 years,” Dady remarked. “Everybody’s hurting. You’re not alone. Everybody’s restaurants are slower than they were last year.”

Dady emphasized the importance of managing finances carefully during these tough times. “You just got to buckle down, be smart with every dollar, and take care of the guests,” he said.

With over 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry, Dady has encountered numerous challenges. “I mean, 25 restaurants in 25 years, I’ve had great successes and I’ve had failures and I have had the tears,” he explained. “I have learned more from my closures than I have from my great successes because you learn that that didn’t work or that’s not really working here, but maybe we can use that here.”

To keep his restaurants thriving, Dady believes in the power of genuine hospitality. “The best advice I could ever give is you’ve got to take care of the people that are walking in that door,” he said. “That’s why it takes that team mentality of understanding about hospitality, being genuine to who you are, and building that culture is what makes great restaurants. It’s the culture within the walls.”

As the industry grapples with these pressing issues, the experiences and insights of established chefs like Jason Dady offer a glimpse into the resilience required to navigate the evolving landscape of the restaurant business.