Hopdoddy Burger Bar has filed plans for a new restaurant at Schertz Station, a sprawling retail development along Interstate 35 that's quickly becoming one of the hottest addresses in the San Antonio area for national chains. The Austin-based burger chain's space will sit at 18574 IH 35 N., with shell construction expected to begin next month and a buildout estimated at $800,000.
According to San Antonio Business Journal, shell construction is slated to start in November, setting up what would be Hopdoddy's fourth location in the San Antonio market, joining existing spots at The Rim, The Vineyard on Loop 1604, and Huebner Oaks.
Developer Merit Commercial Real Estate is investing more than $65 million in the 72-acre Schertz Station master-planned development, and the outlet's reporting includes comments from Merit CRE CEO Will Collins, who said Hopdoddy is targeting an opening by February 2027. Construction is underway at Schertz Station as part of a broader buildout at a commercial junction the developer's own property data shows handles more than 151,000 vehicles a day at Interstate 35 and Cibolo Valley Drive.
A Burger Chain With Fresh Corporate Backing
Hopdoddy's push into Schertz comes just months after its ownership changed hands. The chain was acquired by New York-based Founders Table Restaurant Group in June in a deal whose terms were not disclosed, according to QSR Magazine, bringing Hopdoddy's 47 restaurants nationwide into a multi-brand portfolio that also includes Chopt and Dos Toros, spans 18 states and generates nearly $500 million in systemwide sales.
Before the acquisition, Hopdoddy was already punching above its weight financially. The chain generated roughly $138 million in annual system sales nationwide, with individual units averaging nearly $2.9 million in annual revenue, per Technomic data cited by Nation's Restaurant News. Those per-unit numbers offer a snapshot of the chain's sales as it eyes suburban growth corridors beyond its original San Antonio footprint at The Rim, which it entered back in 2016.
Why Schertz, Why Now
The timing lines up with a demographic surge along the Schertz-Cibolo border. U.S. Census Bureau data released Dec. 12 showed Schertz's population grew 10.6% between 2018 and 2023 to reach 43,128 residents, while neighboring Cibolo grew 21% to 33,829 over the same stretch, according to Community Impact. Schertz Station is a retail development in Schertz.
That scarcity helps explain why national chains keep lining up. Schertz Station, anchored by EVO Entertainment, has drawn a cluster of dining brands, including Panera Bread, CAVA and Chicago-based Portillo's; Panera opened in October 2025. Florida-based daytime chain First Watch is set to open at the same development, with construction slated to begin in January, as Hoodline reported earlier this month. Schertz Station's anchor retail footprint also includes a Home Depot filing Hoodline covered this summer, underscoring how fast the 72-acre site has filled in.
Hopdoddy's Schertz plans would add a new location to the chain's footprint. For San Antonio-area diners, the Schertz filing signals that the chain, which has been part of the local food conversation since its Loop 1604 debut years ago, is now betting on the outer suburbs along I-35 as much as the urban core.
