This week, Teague connects with Mitch Patel, Founder & CEO of Vision Hospitality Group, to get a boots-on-the-ground perspective on the hospitality industry. As an active owner-operator, Mitch shares how Vision is approaching development, acquisitions, and strategy—what’s working, what’s being rethought, and how decisions are getting made in today’s market.

Mitch unpacks how owner and developer priorities are evolving as 2026 comes into focus—where conviction remains strongest, where discipline matters most, and how operators are balancing near-term caution with long-term opportunity. He also breaks down the trade-offs shaping the current cycle and what it takes to stay nimble as conditions continue to shift.

Mitch, or as Teague likes to call him, the “unofficial mayor of Chattanooga,” also gives his take on whether hospitality is still the place to be—and his answer is anything but shy.