Is this the hardest time to run a restaurant since the Great Depression? A Houston hospitality insider weighs in.

Houston business owners are squeezed by rising costs, and many restaurant owners now want out of their spaces.

Misty Bacon, Broker-Owner of Bacon Realty Group, sits down with Jonathan Horowitz, who has spent 20 years in hospitality as an operator, CEO, consultant, and commercial real estate agent.

Hear what COVID changed for restaurant workers and customers, what to know before opening or growing a restaurant, and how Houston restaurant real estate deals really work.

🎧 Hosted by: Misty Bacon

🎤 Featuring:

Jonathan Horowitz – Hospitality expert, author, speaker, and licensed commercial real estate agent with Restaurant Realty Group. A former attorney and past CEO of Legacy Restaurants, he founded Convive, a hospitality consulting firm, and has chaired the Texas Restaurant Association.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️ Restaurant hiring now competes with gig jobs like Amazon and Uber

✔️ Delivery apps and online ordering now shape how diners order

✔️ Retaining women in hospitality means addressing childcare pressures

✔️ An SBA loan and a solid plan can get a first restaurant open

✔️Growing from 1–2 locations to 6 starts with a clear expansion plan

✔️ Small business founders should expect to do every job themselves

✔️Houston commercial real estate: restaurant sellers now outnumber buyers

💡Key Questions Answered

Q: How much more can commercial property insurance cost than a home policy?

→ A: About $15,000 a year was Misty Bacon’s quote to insure a small commercial building in Baytown, versus under $2,000 for her larger home two miles away. That gap pushed her toward a mobile business.

Q: Who steps up first to feed people when disaster hits Houston?→ A: The hospitality industry is among the first to jump in, right behind first responders, Jonathan says. Whether it’s a pandemic, storm, or flood, their first question is how to keep food going.

Q: What does a restaurant consultant actually help with?

→ A: Jonathan works on concept creation, finding locations, building out and designing the space, hiring managers and staff, daily operations, and marketing and PR.

Q: What makes Houston’s restaurant community stand out?

→ A: Its chefs and restaurateurs are unusually supportive, with very little cutthroat backstabbing, Jonathan says. They come together for competitions, charity work, and foundations that give back to the community.

⏳ Timestamps (Click to Jump to Sections!)

📌00:00 - Cold Open: Why Opening a Restaurant Isn’t Easy

📌01:23 - Leaving Law to Own a Houston Wine Bar

📌04:40 - Restaurant Trends: Fads vs. Evergreens

📌06:42 - COVID’s Impact on Restaurant Jobs & Costs

📌13:25 - Should Restaurant Owners Buy Their Property?

📌16:07 - Starting a Business Right Before COVID

📌18:23 - Why Do So Many Restaurants Fail?

📌24:41 - How Restaurants Are Valued When They Sell

📌27:30 - Career Advice & Houston’s Food Community

Connect with Jonathan Horowitz:

🌐 Website → https://convivehc.com/

📸 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jhorowitz_htx

💼 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/horowitzjonathan/

🎧 Follow Misty Bacon:

🌐 Website → https://www.thebaconrealtygroup.com/

👻 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/thebaconrealtygroup

💼 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mistybacon/

⭐ Produced by Icons of Real Estate - https://iconsofrealestate.com/

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