Burgers, tacos, pies, beer coming to the food hall and Hixon-Cavender’s Broadway Brewery

It sat empty for a while during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the recent “flight to quality” office trend has been a boon, said Hunter Kingman, vice president of acquisitions and development at Hixon.

Less than 10% of office space remains for rent, and Hixon will focus on filling 5,000 square feet of restaurant space early next year, Kingman said.

The next piece is the area behind the Soto, which includes the rest of the block and is expected to be completed in the spring of 2023.

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On ExpressNews.com: The Hixon-Cavender partnership progresses on Broadway; parking, new brewery are possible next steps

Two automotive buildings are being converted into a brewery operated by Los Angeles-based bar chain Pouring With Heart and a food hall with 10 vendors. Mila Coffee will have a standalone location.

The food hall, called Make Ready Market, is in a former Cavender Cadillac dealership building where cars were polished — or “prepped” — before being released to customers.

Concepts will include burgers, fries and shakes from Orderup owner David Galbreath; Mexican cuisine by Orlando Aguirre, owner of Chilaquil and El Diente de Oro; sweet and savory pies from Austin-based Tiny Pies; Venezuelan cuisine by Austin-based Four Brothers; and beer, wine, cider, frozen cocktails and paletas from Zach Garza, a restaurateur and chef who will manage the food hall.

Galbreath said Hixon executives thought about and researched the development of the food hall, which prompted him to get involved. His stand will have staples from Orderup, including cookies.

“I could tell it was going to be well done,” he said. “Were excited.”

Aguirre said he focuses on different seafood, beef, and pork dishes — “Mexican flavors presented in fun and different ways.” He’s also considering items that pair well with drinks, like the tacos that come with certain types of beer.

“I see it as something that’s going to explode in the next two years,” Aguirre said of the food hall.

The traditional full-service restaurant business model is “broken and has been for a while,” Garza said.

In a food hall, operators need fewer employees, prices are generally more affordable, and expenses for services such as garbage and cleaning may be lower.

“I think this is one of the models moving forward that works, that will help us provide decent salaries to our teams and great experiences that are economically accessible to a larger part of the population,” Garza said.

The remaining tenants have not yet been announced. There are about 200 seats inside and on a covered patio, with more seating at Pouring With Heart, Kingman said. Visitors can park on the adjacent Hixon-owned lots or on the street.

The Pearl food hall, which has six booths, is a few blocks away.

“There’s a lot of demand to capture right now, and so providing more supply is the right answer,” Kingman said.

Hixon executives have visited food halls across the United States, and the Make Ready Market is modeled after Pine Street Market in Portland, Ore.

They worked with Jean-Pierre Veillet, one of Pine Street’s developers, who advised them on “everything from where the floor drains go to what our standard operating procedures should look like”, Kingman said.

At Veillet’s suggestion, they varied the size of the food stalls. The room will be black and white so the vendors’ unique designs and decorations “shine through,” Kingman said.

They took a break during the pandemic before starting construction last year. Although few design changes were needed, they added take-out locations and more courtyard seating, Kingman said.

Kingman declined to disclose the cost of the project. As it is completed, more tenants move into the Soto and more improvements planned for Broadway Street are completed. “We really feel like 2023 is going to be a huge year” for the region, Kingman said.

On ExpressNews.com: Cavender, Hixon partnership buys more land along downtown Broadway

The block is part of more than 10 contiguous acres that Hixon and the Cavender family acquired in the area.

Their holdings include a former Buick dealership building at the northwest corner of Broadway and 10th Street, which they plan to restore using historic tax credits, and adjacent buildings previously owned by the company. Iron Mountain Document Management System.

Once the Make Ready area is complete, they plan to focus on residential development, Kingman said. Hixon owns River House, a 261-unit apartment complex completed in 2015 at 122 Roy Smith St. a few blocks away.

Pearl’s success has spurred a wave of development around it, with hundreds of apartments and office towers completed or planned. Downtown, local developer Weston Urban is working on two residential projects.

“River North feels like San Antonio’s opportunity in an urban, walkable neighborhood,” Kingman said. “We are a 10 minute walk from Pearl. We are a 10 minute walk from the heart of downtown.

“It’s San Antonio, it’s Texas. We don’t expect people to give up their cars,” Kingman added. “But if they don’t use their car seven days a week, maybe on Saturday the car is parked in their garage. I see this as the reality of what an urban neighborhood looks like in San Antonio. And that’s what we’re headed for.

madison.iszler@express-news.net