Kush Wynwood Is Back, and This Time It Comes With Affordable Homes for Restaurant Workers

WYNWOOD — Matt Kuscher’s Wynwood burger spot is back in its old building on North Miami Avenue, but the bigger story is what’s upstairs. The restaurateur has reopened Kush Wynwood as the anchor of Kush Korner, a mixed-use project at 2003 N. Miami Ave. that also includes 10 affordable studio apartments reserved for hospitality workers.

According to Premier Guide Miami, the studios are protected under a 50-year affordability agreement. FIU News called the project “a pioneering model for employer-assisted affordable housing in Miami’s hospitality industry.”

The Problem It’s Trying to Solve

Kuscher, a 2000 graduate of FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, told FIU News the idea started with a crisis in his own kitchen.

“It all started one day when one of my dishwashers got kicked out of their apartment and I spent two days trying to find them an apartment,” he said. “They didn’t have a car, so I drove around the neighborhood trying to find ‘for rent’ signs, and I realized how difficult it was to find housing … I had the resources, but I couldn’t do it in two days.”

It’s a problem nearly every Miami restaurant owner knows. Wynwood’s economy depends on bartenders, cooks, servers and dishwashers, but rents in the neighborhood have climbed so high that many of those workers can’t afford to live near their jobs. “Right now, Miami is growing so much and booming,” Kuscher told FIU News. “But unfortunately, the people that make it thrive, the heartbeat of the city, are getting priced out.”

Edward “Ned” Murray, associate director of FIU’s Jorge M. Pérez Metropolitan Center, told the university that employer-assisted housing comes up often in affordable housing planning. “Leisure and hospitality account for most of the jobs in South Florida, but the industry doesn’t always pay the wages necessary for people to pay rent, or own homes,” he said.

A Century-Old Building, Saved

The flatiron-style building was built in 1926 by Samuel Dubbin, a pioneer of Miami’s early Jewish community, and was once slated for demolition. FIU News reports that Kuscher bought it in 2022, along with an adjacent parcel that still belonged to the Dubbin family, and promised former state Rep. Murray Dubbin he would keep the family’s name on the building.

The building has had a colorful history. It has served as “Dubbin’s Apartments” and as a pharmacy, and it is rumored to have housed mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger in the 1950s. Kush leans into the legend: Premier Guide Miami reports that a hidden upstairs closet holds a replica of Bulger’s jail cell, complete with a prison ID and fork Kuscher bought at auction.

FIU News says the project was done in collaboration with the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency and the Public Benefit Trust Fund, with support from Miami Commissioner Damian Pardo.

Room for First-Time Owners

Kush Korner also has space for new businesses. FIU News says the property is set up so first-time entrepreneurs can launch a business in a residency-style format, without dealing with permitting, landlords or changing rent prices.

The first is Broth and Bitters, the first bar from bartender Erika Holtz. Premier Guide Miami reports the building also houses Creative Souls, a tattoo studio from local artist James Moyer.

That setup could make it easier for hospitality workers to become owners. Opening a first bar or restaurant in Miami can mean months of buildout and permitting, plus a lease that may reprice just when the business starts to find its footing.

What’s on the Menu

The restaurant itself pulls favorites from across Kush Hospitality’s portfolio. According to Premier Guide Miami, the menu includes the Frita by Kush, the Jewban Sandwich, the Johnny Utah burger, Florida Alligator Bites and Reuben Croquetas, along with local craft beers made exclusively for Kush Wynwood by Tank Brewing and Rocketeer Brewing.

Art covers the building, inside and out. Premier Guide Miami counts more than 25 works by 20 artists, including a Walter Mercado mural by Lalone facing North Miami Avenue. Brickell Magazine adds that 180 artist names line the entrance corridor.

Premier Guide Miami lists the hours as 11:30 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 11:30 a.m. to late on Friday and Saturday.

A Model Others Could Copy

Ten apartments won’t fix Miami’s housing shortage. But Kush Korner offers something the city’s restaurant industry has mostly lacked: a working example of an independent operator building housing for its own workforce. Kuscher, who also teaches restaurant development at FIU, has spoken at the inaugural Emerging Developer Conference on affordable housing, and he’s pushing other business owners to try something similar, according to FIU News.

For Miami’s restaurant owners, the lesson is practical. Hiring and keeping staff is one of the toughest parts of running a restaurant, and a home near work can be a stronger perk than a pay bump. Whether other operators follow will depend on financing, city partners and buildings like this one becoming available. Kush Korner shows it can be done.