Three Things San Antonio Likes to Buy

San Antonio’s economy hasn’t had the peaks and valleys that plagued other big cities, says The Weitzman Group VP Marcus Shaffer. Here’s three areas he predicts will continue to shine. 

1) Restaurants galore

From national chains to regional restaurants and the mom-n-pop places, eating joints are going gangbusters, Marcus says. The 1,400 to 3,000 SF spaces are seeing local pizza shops, and second generation takeovers of old Quizno spaces, he says. Fried chicken is all the rage with Popeye's, Bush's, Raising Cane's (our favorite is their Cane's sauce), and Chick-fil-A restaurants opening all over town. 54th Street Grille has opened multiple pad sites and Zoe’s opened two locations and has another on the way in North Central San Antonio.

2) Grocers like Walmart & H-E-B

The San Antonio-based H-E-B has always been the big player, but lately Walmart has opened multiple new supercenter locations in a head-to-head challenge. (Round one: Who's got the fastest baggers?) In communities where H-E-B was the only game in town, Walmart has made a big move building large format stores from the ground up and is rolling out the smaller Walmart Neighborhood Market concept this year.

3) Medical on the go

The medical service sector from urgent care clinics to dental offices are incredibly active in the retail environment. It’s all about convenience and identity. That storefront presence can create brand awareness. Marcus has been part of the roll-out team for California-based dental chain, Western Dental (which is converting its name to Brident Dental). The chain is active across all major Texas markets with multiple deals in the works, he says.