In pre-COVID-19 San Antonio, Jim’s Restaurants attracted a post-midnight clientele. Locals dropped in for a Frontier burger and fries or coffee and pie at one of 14 locations.
In the wake of the pandemic, however, Jim’s shuttered restaurants, ended all-night service and started closing its doors at 10 p.m.
Five years later, the fog of COVID-19 is beginning to lift. One day after Christmas, Jim’s resumed 24-hour service at its Broadway and Loop 410 location. Business is brisk.
“I was in the other night and we were pretty full, almost packed to capacity” said Manager Ron Garza. “And that was at 10:30, 11 o’clock. We used to close at 10.”
The late-night hours attract customers from neighborhood bars and travelers from nearby San Antonio International Airport.
“It’s been crazy after midnight,” said one employee who asked not to be identified. “I know. I’ve worked every shift here since 1982.”
Almost 80 years after opening next to a bicycle stand at Brackenridge Park, the restaurant chain is flexing new muscle. Expect more locations to offer 24-hour service in 2026 — and for new restaurants to appear in 2027.
“This will be the year we’ll be looking to expand the Jim’s operation,” said Jimmy Hasslocher, CEO of Frontier Enterprises, which runs the restaurant chain founded by his late father. “We closed some of the leased properties that were hit hard after COVID and never came back. But we’re looking for new opportunities. We’re positioning ourselves for the future.”
The future begins with a test model, the Jim’s at Broadway and Loop 410. If customers continue responding well to the new hours, more locations will offer 24-hour service. The holidays have created a spike in foot traffic. But will business remain strong after the post-Christmas rush ends?
“The test will be starting Monday (Jan. 5.),” Hasslocher said.
The first Jim’s opened in 1947. The hamburger stand evolved into the Frontier Drive-In, which evolved into Jim’s Coffee Shop in 1963, which transitioned into the Jim’s Restaurant chain. And 24-hour service began in the 1970s. The pandemic disrupted a half-century of late night stops for coffee and burgers.
“My gut told me and customers told me that they would really like to see us be open 24 hours again,” Hasslocher said. “I’m going to continue to have my team work on other locations. I have some in mind, but at this point I’m not ready to say publicly which ones they are. I will tell you I’m really excited about the Alamo Ranch area. I guess I just gave that away. And Jim’s at Culebra and 1604 is another location I’m interested in. We have some others we’re looking at.”
Frontier Enterprises operates 17 establishments: 13 Jim’s restaurants (10 in San Antonio, three in Austin), one Magic Time Machine in San Antonio and a second in Dallas, and a Frontier Burger and La Fonda Alamo Heights.
“We are planning to develop more (Jim’s) locations down the road,” Hasslocher said.
It will take time, he explained, to purchase land, secure permits and build. The next Jim’s is likely to appear in 2027.
Hasslocher, 74, began working for his father, the late G. “Jim” Hasslocher, at the age of 8. The son stood on a wooden Coca-Cola crate at Brackenridge Park, serving concessions through a hamburger stand window.
“I could barely see over the counter,” he said. “I sold a lot of popcorn and peanuts and sodas. We got 50 cents a day. This was in 1959.”
As business grew, Hasslocher took on more responsibilities. He worked at drive-ins and coffee shops. He made deliveries to HemisFair ‘68, where his family-run restaurant sat atop the Tower of the Americas.
“I was the first guy to get stuck in the elevator,” he said, recalling the car that rose 622 feet to the revolving restaurant. “I got stuck three times.”
Jim’s expanded its footprint across San Antonio and Austin. At its peak in the mid-1980s, the chain operated more than two dozen restaurants. Fierce competition from national chains and shifting market demands led to multiple closures in the 1990s.
Hasslocher emerged as CEO in 2006. His father remained involved in the business until his passing in 2015.
Though post-pandemic market forces have led to additional closures, response to 24-hour service at Broadway and Loop 410 has prompted a surge of optimism.
On a recent afternoon, customers stood in line near a seating area, waiting for tables to empty in the packed dining room. Servers hustled from the kitchen to tables and booths, carrying plates of burgers, chops and chicken fried steak.
“It’s getting busier,” Garza said.
Word on the new store hours is spreading. A Dec. 26 Facebook post – “Jim’s #1 on Broadway & 410 is officially back to being 24 hours” – has drawn more than 70,000 views, according to Hasslocher.
“So far, we’ve seen positive results,” he said. “This company is 78-years-old. My parents spent a lifetime building this. My job as chair and CEO is to make sure it continues on that path. And so I look for great things in 2026.”
