How one Miami restaurateur is redefining what it means to invest in a community
Miami’s restaurant industry runs on people — cooks, servers, bartenders, hosts — who show up every day to create the experiences the city is known for. But increasingly, those same people can’t afford to live anywhere near the neighborhoods they work in. For Matt Kuscher, founder of Kush Hospitality, that contradiction became impossible to ignore.
The people keeping Miami’s hospitality industry running were being pushed further and further away from it. It wasn’t a new problem, but Kuscher decided he was in a position to do something about it. Miami New Times
The Kush Corner
At the corner of North Miami Avenue and NE 20th Street in Wynwood, crews are currently renovating a historic building that will soon be home to a reimagined Kush restaurant — and ten studio apartments upstairs, reserved exclusively as affordable housing units for hospitality industry workers. NBC 6 South Florida
The building itself has a story worth preserving. It’s nearly a hundred years old, and Kuscher was determined to save it from demolition. That instinct to protect the soul of a neighborhood while actively investing in its future defines the entire project. NBC 6 South Florida
A Partnership Built to Last
The Omni Community Redevelopment Agency played an integral role in making the plan a reality, investing in the project in exchange for Kuscher signing a contract to keep Kush at the location and maintain the apartments as affordable housing for the next 50 years. This isn’t a short-term gesture — it’s a structural commitment to the community. NBC 6 South Florida
Kuscher’s vision is straightforward: employees who are centrally located, walking to work, and living an amazing life in the neighborhood they serve. NBC 6 South Florida
More Than a One-Time Effort
Kuscher is clear that this is not a one-and-done initiative. His goal is to replicate this model again and again — doing something good that also makes good business sense. WhatNow
If it works, he hopes it doesn’t stop here. In a neighborhood where change often feels inevitable, the question isn’t just what gets built next — it’s who gets to stay. Miami New Times
What’s Coming
The new Wynwood location will be more than just a restaurant. The space will include a bar with a full liquor program, commercial space, and residential components — and a menu that brings back the greatest hits from Kush Hospitality’s restaurants over the years. Miami New Times
Kuscher’s goal is to build something that lasts for decades — a Miami staple and iconic destination for the next 50 years and beyond. Miami New Times
